


"Eventually"

by nothingwithoutyouxo



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-09-27 11:43:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10019114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingwithoutyouxo/pseuds/nothingwithoutyouxo
Summary: When Norman Osborn dies, Oscorp is passed down to his son, who returns to New York out of duty. All that Peter Parker knows is that he has his best friend back. And he can't lose him again. Even with all the odds stacked against them.





	1. Past Into Present

**Author's Note:**

> So, I rewatched The Amazing-Spider Man 2 after having not seen it in a long while. I adored that movie when it first came out. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone just have this incredible, undeniable chemistry in it. Upon seeing it again, though, Emma wasn't the only person that he seemed to have chemistry with. So, naturally, I contemplated the idea of the wonderful, bisexual Peter Parker being in love with his best friend. The feelings, of course had to be mutual. That's how this re-imagining novelisation was born. A few things will be changed, of course, but some of this will stick quite close to the film. I hope you all like it.

Peter and Harry had been best friends when they were younger. After his parents had left him with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May and never returned, Peter couldn’t help but feel like they’d abandoned him. Even if he was left with people who loved him, he wasn’t sure why his parents had left in the first place. He’d tried asking but it had never really worked. His Uncle would change the subject immediately and his Aunt would try to distract him with something else. He learned pretty quickly that it was a topic to be avoided in conversation. That didn’t mean he wasn’t curious, but eventually he started to feel like it didn’t matter anymore. 

 

If there was one thing that Harry Osborn knew it was how it felt to be abandoned by people who were supposed to love you. His own parents were neglectful and most of the time he thought that maybe they forgot he existed. His father was often way too busy running his company. His mother was in a business of her own and didn’t quite talk to him that often. A lot of times he found himself wandering around the streets of New York by himself. It probably wasn’t safe for a child, but it felt more like home to him than his house ever had. That was how he met Peter. 

 

It was a considerably windy Tuesday afternoon and Harry was wandering through Times Square. He’d always been interested in the screens that lined the buildings. The Oscorp logo was currently lit up on one and he had to draw his eyes away when he felt something crash into him. He almost tripped over but somehow managed to stay standing. At least, he would have if the boy who’d bumped into him had accidently pulled him down with him. The result was that the two of them ended up on the floor. The boy fell into a fit of laughter, but then immediately turned apologetic.

 

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to run into you” he said. He had a bright smile that lit up his entire face, his eyes dancing happily. 

 

Harry stood and offered the boy his hand. “It’s ok. I’m used to people not seeing me” he smirked as the boy took his hand. He pulled him up off the ground. 

 

“I’m Peter” the boy said, dusting himself off quickly. 

 

“I’m Harry” he replied. 

 

“Are you sure you’re ok?”.

 

Harry was confused as to why this boy seemed so concerned for him. He really wasn’t used to that at all. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you ok? You’re the one that fell over”.

 

“And I pulled you down with me and I really didn’t mean to and I’m really sorry. I hope you won’t tell Aunt May that I did that because she’d probably be angry. I mean, she wouldn’t be angry but she’s taught me a lot better than that. Again, I’m sorry”.

 

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at Peter’s rambling. He was obviously nervous, still brushing dust off his jeans and pulling at the straps of his backpack. “I won’t tell her” he said, even though he’d never met this boy before and definitely hadn’t met his aunt.

 

“Thank you” he smiled. 

 

“But you’re ok?” he asked again, because even with all the rambling he still hadn’t answered the question.

 

“Yeah, I’m ok”. Peter paused for a moment, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels. 

 

Harry knew that he didn’t want the conversation to end. He didn’t get to talk to people much, and this boy was nice to him. And his own age. He didn’t really know anyone his age. Everyone that worked at the company was an adult. He was just lucky that Peter somehow knew how to make small talk.

 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before” he said.

 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before either”.

 

“Do you go to my school?”.

 

Harry shook his head. “I’m homeschooled”.

 

Peter scrunched up his nose. “That sounds boring”.

 

“It is”.

  
“How do you make friends?” he asked, adjusting his glasses absently. He was lucky they didn’t break with the fall. 

 

“I don’t” Harry shrugged. He thought about the hours that he spent with his tutor going over different subjects. There wasn’t really time to make friends. Not that he knew how to. 

 

“Oh”.

 

Peter suddenly looked very sad, like the concept of not having friends was the worst thing in the world to him. Harry wasn’t sure why he said it, but he thought that maybe it would help cheer him up. He stumbled over his words more than he’d like to admit, but he was proud of himself anyway. “Um, maybe we could … be friends … Peter. If you want?”. When Peter lit up again he knew that he’d said the right thing. Harry couldn’t help the smile that spread across his own face. 

 

“I’d like that”.

 

“I think that I would too”. 

 

Peter stood there and smiled at him for a moment before throwing his arms around him. Harry wasn’t sure what to do, he’d never really been hugged before but he hugged back and hoped that it wasn’t awkward. He wasn’t the first to pull away.

 

“Peter Benjamin Parker! I have been looking for you everywhere” a voice called.

 

Peter bit down on his lip, suddenly seeming guilty. “Sorry, Aunt May” he said, turning automatically to face an older woman. 

 

“Don’t scare me like that” she replied, softening automatically and pulling him into a hug.

 

Harry knew immediately that this family was a lot more loving than his own. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Should he leave? He didn’t know if Peter could tell what he was thinking but when he pulled away from the hug he introduced him. They were inseparable for a good few years after that. 

 

***

 

It wasn’t until they were eleven that they realised that sometimes friendships won’t meant to last forever, no matter how much they wanted theirs to. Harry’s parents sent him away to boarding school. He was sure that they didn’t want to him being around anymore. It would have been something a lot easier for him to deal with if he hadn’t met Peter. He could have easily left his parents behind, knowing how desperate they were to be rid of him, but leaving Peter behind was the hardest thing that he’d ever had to do. Peter was his only friend, and he would have no way to contact him. He wasn’t sure how long it would be but the two of them knew that it would be years at least. Harry wasn’t sure of many things but years seemed like a long enough time to forget about someone. He wouldn’t blame Peter if that happened. He didn’t really find himself particularly memorable anyway. 

 

“It’s ok if you forget about me” he said.

 

Peter shook his head furiously, “I’m not going to forget about you. I couldn’t”.

 

Harry wasn’t sure if this would be the last time he ever smiled, but it didn’t matter. “I’m not going to forget about you either”.

 

“I think I’ll see you again. One day”. Peter was a hopeful idealist, even at a young age. He was also a massive fan of hugs.

 

Harry had never hug anyone the way he hugged Peter. And maybe he never would, but that last hug was something different. They must have clung to each other for a good few minutes, and Peter teared up at one point. He tried to hide it with a sniffly laugh but Harry knew him too well. There was still nothing as heartbreaking as that sound. 

 

“I’ll make sure of it” he muttered, pulling away. “That we see each other again”.

 

“Good”.

 

Peter Parker was a beacon of light that somehow connected to him, but it didn’t seem that they could both be on at the same time. At least, Harry’s own light started to flicker more and more with each mile that was put between them. By the time he had reached his new boarding school, his was completely off. 

 

***

 

_ Ten Years Later  _

 

A lot could change in ten years but some things could never quite be forgotten. Following his break-up with Gwen, Peter found himself spending more and more time slinging through the city. He’d been working hard to improve his web, finding new ways to make it stronger. He couldn’t quite make it flammable just yet. Mostly it was a distraction for everything that had happened in the past year, especially losing Gwen, but also he just really liked helping people. There were constant debates on the news about whether he was a good person or not. It confused him a little, all he’d ever done is help people. If he’d never even shown the potential to become a supervillain then why worry about it? Most of the citizens of New York seemed to like him so he tried not to pay too much attention to the negative. 

 

When Gwen had told him that the Oxford early entry program wanted to interview her he’d told her he’d be there, as her boyfriend or just as a friend as it turned out to be. So he was currently swinging his way through New York to make it on time. He had to help a kid fight off some bullies. And save a woman from being mugged. He even helped a cat out of tree, but now he was almost late and he couldn’t let Gwen down. He caught her just outside of the building. She was looking around, not just up and down the street but also up nearby buildings. She knew him far too well.

 

“I made it!” he said, dropping into place next to her. 

 

She jumped but rolled her eyes when she realised it was just him. “You’re almost late” she smirked.

 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” he replied, adjusting his sleeves to hide his Spider-man suit from view. He should probably be more careful, a lot of people could have seen him do that. It just so happened that slinging was faster than public transport. Or walking.

 

“I’m nervous” Gwen muttered, not quite looking at him. This interview was all she’d been thinking about for weeks. It was her absolute final one. After this should could be getting into the college of her dreams and moving to London. It could also be the other person, some 14 year old kid. But it could be her, and she wanted to focus on that.

 

“Hey” Peter smiled, grabbing onto her shoulders gently. “You’re Gwen Stacy. They’re going to love you”.

 

She couldn’t help smiling at that. Peter and his endless amount of enthusiasm and moral support. Just some of the things that made him so charming.

 

“You could probably get a bunch of people from Oscorp to vouch for you too. You’ve been interning there for ages. That must help somehow” he shrugged, letting her go again. 

 

“Oscorp is in a bit of a rough place right now” she explained, “and I want to do this on my own. With my own credentials”.

 

“What do you mean?”.

 

Gwen cocked her head to the side and looked at him for a moment. “You haven’t heard?”.

 

“Heard what?”.

 

Peter and his obliviousness. “Oscorp is changing hands. Norman Osborn died a few days ago. He succumbed to that illness he had. The company’s being passed down to his son”.

 

“Harry” Peter realised. He was suddenly struck by about a thousand different emotions he couldn’t seem to distinguish. Part of him  _ knew  _ that they would see each other again. 

 

“You were friends, weren’t you? When you were younger?”.

  
Peter looked up at Gwen and nodded. “Yeah, we were best friends”.

 

“That’s why I thought you would know, but I guess he only arrived back in New York today. At least, that’s what I heard”. Gwen watched as something dawned on Peter. His best friend was back. She couldn’t exactly remember when he’d told her that Harry left but it must have been at least ten years ago. That was a long time when you thought about it. “Peter, I’ve got this interview. I’m sure he’ll want to see you” she said.

 

His head snapped up and he locked onto her. “What? Really?”.

 

Gwen laughed and shoved at his shoulder playfully. “You said it yourself. They’re going to love me”.

 

“Of course they are. Have you met you?” he asked.

 

She shook her head and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for coming anyway” she said. 

 

“I told you I would” he hugged her back.

 

“I know. Make sure you don’t sneak in this time” she smirked.

 

“And you make sure you kill this interview. London will be so lucky to have you”.

 

“You’re stalling”.

 

“Uh, maybe”.

 

Gwen smiled at him, she grabbed onto his shoulders and gave him a little shake. “You’ve got this, Peter Parker” she said. “Don’t worry about me. Just go”.

 

“Thank you” he muttered. 

 

“You’ve saved my life and now I’m saving yours”. The confusion on his face was enough to make her laugh. “If you don’t leave now you’re going to make me late”.

 

“Right” he muttered, jolting completely upright. “Good luck”.

 

“You too”.

 

Peter waved and then ran off down the street. It wouldn’t be a good idea to sling to Oscorp, who knew what kind of security they had. They could probably catch him and ruin his secret identity forever. That wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. He didn’t like that the L train was his other option, but it would have to do. 

 

***

 

“Mr. Osborn, sorry to interrupt. There’s a Peter Parker here to see you”. 

 

Harry had never been more excited to have a meeting interrupted in his life. “Felicia” he acknowledged, locking onto the quiet girl that he’d made everyone’s boss. “This is your meeting now”. There was just something about her that made him trust her more than anyone else at the table. He knew she could handle this. He quickly stood up and made his way from the room. 

 

Peter was here. It was something he’d thought about throughout his trip back to New York. He would have seeked him out the second that he got back but he was automatically thrown towards his father’s funeral and into business meetings. Now that the company was technically his he had to be briefed on absolutely everything that was happening. Norman Osborn had never really talked about the company, Harry barely knew what they even  _ did  _ here. But he’d been doing his research. He’d mocked up a business plan. He knew what he was doing. At least, business wise. Harry stopped at the top of the small set of stairs and looked down at his best friend. Peter had barely changed in the last ten years. 

 

“Peter Parker. It’s like seeing a ghost”.

 

Peter had been hovering near the door, obviously uncomfortable but turned when he heard Harry’s voice. “Hey Harry”.

 

“It’s been ten years” he muttered. It was taking every urge of his strength not to just launch himself down the stairs to hug him. There was something comforting about that. Even if his world was being thrown out of order, at least Peter was constant. 

 

“I know”.

 

“What’s up?”.

 

“I saw the news. About your father. I wanted to say that I’m sorry” he explained, slowly creeping up the staircase towards him. He did genuinely look sorry, even if he had no reason to. Peter had never met Harry’s father, but he knew what it was like to lose parents. He knew how hard that could be. Harry looked so upset that he could almost feel the weight of it pressing down on his own shoulders. “I wanted to come and see you. To check and see how you were doing”.

 

Concern. Harry still had no idea what to do with that. He’d had people pity him over the last few days, but none of them had been concerned for his wellbeing. Only for the company. “I’m with some people. I’m in a meeting” he found himself saying, even if he didn’t want to be there. Even if he wanted to stay with Peter. His instinct was always to push people away. 

 

“Sorry, I don’t want to intrude. I know exactly what you’re going through right now” Peter replied, stopping a few steps down from where Harry was. He wanted to be closer, but he didn’t want to overstep. “After everything that happened with my parents”.

 

Harry nodded. Peter didn’t need to elaborate on that. They both knew what had happened when Peter had been dropped off at his Aunt’s and Uncle’s and left there. 

 

“That’s why I’m here for you”.

 

“Thank you”. It was all he could say really. Peter had truly gone out of his way to come here. No one else would do that for him. Hell, not even his parents had visited him while he was at boarding school. 

 

“It’s good to see you, man. It’s really good to see you”. Peter was slowly backing down the stairs again. It was the opposite of what he wanted to be doing but Harry was obviously busy. Running the company couldn’t be easy. He probably needed a lot of time to deal with that. “I’m sorry about your dad” he added, turning toward the door. 

 

All that Harry knew was that he didn’t want him to leave. He found himself searching for something,  _ anything _ that would get him to stay. “You got your braces off” he said, taking a few steps forward. “Now there’s nothing to distract from your unibrow. 

 

Peter laughed and Harry realised that was exactly what he needed to hear. There was the Peter he knew. One full of enormous enthusiasm. 

 

“There he is” Peter beamed up at him. “Do you still blow-dry your hair every morning?”.

 

“You know one of my manservants holds the hair dryer, but I work the comb” he smirked, playing along. “At least I’m not completely helpless”. 

  
Peter laughed again and bounded up the stairs, almost crushing Harry in a hug. Harry hugged him back with just as much force. This was what he’d needed ever since he’d come back to New York. This was home. 


	2. Faded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know you're serious about a fic when you find yourself watching the film just to write down exact dialogue from it. Don't worry though, not all of this will be the same or anything like that. There'll just be moments where it is so they interconnect. I hope you're all enjoying your week :)

Harry was grateful that he left Felicia in charge because that meant he could sneak away for a while, with the confidence that the company would be in safe hands. He and Peter walked down to the waterfront. There was a Merry-Go-Round. It reminded him of when they were kids. They had a lot to catch up on. Ten years worth. They seemed to start with what the two of them had been doing since graduation. He was grateful for that, he really didn’t want to talk about boarding school. Not at all. 

 

“After graduation I went to Brazil, then Singapore. Then Europe. I went to Europe!” Harry was saying. 

 

“I saw you!” Peter exclaimed, placing a hand on his shoulder and laughing.

 

“What do you mean you saw me?”. Suddenly he was struck by something. What if Peter had been in Europe at the same time he had? What if they’d missed each other somehow. It was almost all-consuming. 

 

“I saw you in some magazine, with some French supermodel. You know who I’m talking about?”. Peter dashed down the stairs ahead of him. 

 

Harry adjusted his sunglasses, smirking to himself. “Oh yeah” he remarked, sliding down the railing. “I remember her”. She hadn’t been anything. None of the models had. He was just trying to keep up an image that would piss his parents off. As far as he knew, it had worked. “Dude, that whole model thing is so exhausting”.

 

“Oh, I  _ know _ ” Peter teased. 

 

The two of them burst into a fit of laughter. They were heading over to the railing, the river spreading out in front of them. There were some tourists milling about. It was so familiar and so unfamiliar at the same time. Peter leaned against the railing in front of him. 

 

“You got a lady?” Harry asked, because he was desperate to know. For completely selfish reasons that he would never admit. 

 

Peter’s smile faded and he turned sombre. “Uh, that’s the question” he shrugged, turning to face the water. He jumped over the railing and leaned on the other side, putting a physical barrier between them. Harry hated that even more. “No, I don’t … Yeah … I don’t know. It’s … I don’t know. It’s complicated”. 

 

“I don’t do complicated”. That was mostly a lie. His entire life was complicated. Now it was just becoming even more so.

 

Peter just shrugged in return.

 

Somehow Harry felt that maybe he should push for more details. “What’s her name? Who is she?” he asked. 

 

“Her name’s Gwen. Gwen Stacy”.

 

“Gwen Stacy” he repeated. He wasn’t sure what he expected but somehow the named seemed to fit. He could tell by the look on Peter’s face that she’d meant a lot to him, and that she most likely still did. 

 

“She works for you” Peter added. 

 

“Really? She works for me?”.

 

“Yeah. At Oscorp”.

 

“Is she a model employee?” he laughed. He wouldn’t go as far as seeking this girl out. That would be crazy, but if he happened to come across her at some point, he’d probably attempt a conversation. 

 

***

 

Somehow the two of them ended up skipping rocks down near the river. Harry had mentioned something earlier about wanting to stay away from Oscorp as long as possible. Peter couldn’t really blame him for that. It had been a place of bad memories for ten years and now he had to run it. He couldn’t imagine how hard that must have been. 

 

“You know, when my father sent me away I tried to forget everything about this place”. Harry spun the rock in his hands for a moment before trying to throw it evenly into the water. It only skipped twice.

 

Peter had been looking between the rocks on the ground, his camera was thrown safely over his back so it wouldn’t be near the water. He was trying to find one that was flat enough to skip. It was a very precise practice, but he looked up when Harry spoke.

 

“That never included you”. 

 

“I never forgot you either” Peter replied, grabbing a rock and straightening quickly. “We were best friends, Harry”.

 

“Part of me was hoping that maybe we still could be” he shrugged. He’d picked up another rock. It wasn’t fit for skimming but it gave him an excuse to not look Peter in the eyes. 

 

Peter threw the rock in his hand. It skipped about ten times before sinking into the river. 

 

Harry looked at him for a moment, shocked. “Nice arm” he commended.

 

“It’s all in the wrist. You could do it too” he bluffed, shrugging. He made a mental note to tone it down so that this didn’t happen again. His super-strength really wasn’t something he should be advertising.

 

Harry smirked at him, not entirely convinced but willing to put it aside. It was probably just a lucky shot. 

 

***

 

“So how did the interview go?”.

 

The way Gwen’s face lit up was all the answer that Peter needed. “I think it went well” she said anyway, nodding almost to herself. She took a long sip from the coffee cup in her hand, still smiling. 

 

“Yeah” Peter beamed at her, taking the seat across from her at the table. They were at one of her favourite coffee shops. She swore by the coffee there. Apparently it was the best in the city. “So do you think you’ll get it? Oxford?”.

 

“I hope so” she replied. “I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet”.

 

“London is going to love you!”. He was practically bouncing in his chair with excitement.

 

Gwen rolled her eyes at him fondly. They worked just as well as friends as they did when they were together. She was more than grateful for that. “How’s Harry?” she asked, biting down on her lip to try and stop herself from smirking at him. She slid a second coffee cup across the table. She’d memorised Peter’s coffee order within the first month of knowing him. He was predictable with his choices. 

 

“Huh?”.

 

Gwen just looked at him, waiting for him to realise what she asked.

 

“Ohhhh”.

 

There it is.

 

“Yeah, he’s good” Petter shrugged, taking a sip of his own coffee and settling back in his chair. There was a glint in her eyes that he didn’t want acknowledge. She seemed to be forming some kind of plan. He didn’t want to think about what that would entail. 

 

“Did you two catch up? Or was he locked away in meetings?”.

 

“He was but he managed to escape” he smiled. “We went down to the waterfront and skipped some rocks”.

 

“Did yours go all the way across the river?” Gwen laughed. Peter had the tendency to lose a little bit of self-control when he was flustered. It used to happened a lot when they were together. 

 

“Almost”.

 

“You should be more careful with that”.

 

“I don’t think he suspected anything” he explained. “And plus, it’s Harry. I mean, he’s my best friend”.

 

“Still?” she asked. Gwen could tell by the look in his eyes that the answer to that question was a well resounding ‘Yes’. It was pretty sweet, that he still thought of Harry like that, even after all this time. She could tell that he meant a lot to Peter.

 

“Yeah” he answered finally. 

 

“That’s really nice, Peter”.

 

“Guess so”.

 

A silence fell between them. Peter fiddled with the coffee cup in his hands,picking at the sticker with the shop’s logo on it and starting to peel it off. Gwen watched him absently, her own cup safely in her hands. There was something familiar about him in that moment. He wasn’t quite flustered but he was almost embarrassed, and he couldn’t seem to meet her eyes. She wondered if Harry being back brought him more than just the rekindling of friendship. She needed to dig a little more if she wanted to get  _ that  _ kind of information. 

 

“How did you two meet?” she asked, curiosity burning through her. 

 

“I ran into him in Times Square” Peter shrugged, non-committedly. 

 

“Well, you must have met before that then”.

 

“No. I ran into him. Knocked him over too” he elaborated.

 

“Of course you did”.

 

“Hey” he leaned forward, pushing his half-empty cup to the side and pointing at her accusingly. “Don’t give me that look”.

 

“What look?” she teased. 

 

“ _ That  _ one. The ‘I-knew-your-answer-before-you-told-me’ look”.

 

Gwen used her coffee cup to try and hide her smirk but he knew her too well. 

 

“I was a kid, ok. I ran into a lot of people”.

 

“You haven’t changed much then” she teased.

 

“Hey! That was one time. And you were hiding on purpose”.

 

“And you  _ still  _ didn’t see me”. 

 

Peter huffed and slumped back in his chair. He could tell that Gwen wanted to laugh but was trying to stop herself. “I missed him” he muttered. “Is that what you wanted to hear me say?”.

 

“Well, yes actually” she smiled. “I’m glad he’s back if he means so much to you”.

 

“He always has”. It was more something that he was admitting to himself but Gwen’s smile grew evermore. 

 

“Good”.

 

“Good?”.

 

“Yeah. Good”. The puzzled look on his face just made her want to start laughing again. It seemed he would always have that effect on her. 

 

***

 

Harry was dying and it was something that he couldn’t fix. He couldn’t just jet off to Europe or buy his way through to a cure. He was dying, and the more time that passed the more that started to settle in. He’d seen his father a few days before he died. He was going to turn into that. He was already starting to show symptoms of the disease. He just wished there was something he could do. 

 

He was spending too much time locked in his office and refusing to go to meetings. The only person he really saw was Felicia, who checked on him somewhat frequently. She was his father’s assistant and immediately transitioned into being his, so it made sense for him to be seen by her. He was slowly drinking his way through what his father left behind. It wasn’t healthy in the slightest but he was already dying so what did it matter? It was that kind of destructive thinking that was going to set him on a path that led to nowhere. 

 

***

 

Peter knew better than to sneak into Oscorp, especially in the middle of the day but he was finding himself to become more and more anxious. Gwen always knew how to help with that. He knew that she was busy, but she was his rock, even now. It didn’t take him long to find her. She always seemed to float between the same number of labs. She was holding a clipboard clutched to her chest and she didn’t even jump when he started walking next to her.

 

“Whatever you’re thinking, Peter. It’s not on purpose. No one’s seen him in days. I think I know why that is” she said. Peter was once again reminded just how well she knew him. She could practically read his mind at this point. 

 

“Why do you think it is?” he asked before he could stop himself. He wasn’t even going to deny her assumptions. He was worried about Harry. He hadn’t spoken to him since the last time they saw each other, and he wasn’t sure when the correct time would be to reach out again.

 

“He’s dying. His father’s illness. It’s hereditary. He’ll be starting to show symptoms by now”. Her voice was steady and matter-of-fact, even though she knew how devastating those words would be for him to hear. 

 

Peter had never been so gripped with fear in his life. He’d already lost his Uncle Ben, and he’d just gotten Harry back. He couldn’t lose him too. “What can I do?” he muttered.

 

“Spiders have self-healing properties” she replied. “I think you need to remember that and start thinking it over before he realises. If he hasn’t already”. 

 

Peter swallowed slowly. They couldn’t have a repeat of last time. He wouldn’t let Harry turn into some kind of supervillain. There had to be something he could do. 

 

“You’ll need time to think it over” Gwen continued. “Just know that time isn’t always on our side. I’ll keep an eye out and tell you if I see anything here. Or hear anything”.

 

“I don’t want to distract you from your job”.

 

She smiled faintly.  _ Never change _ , she thought. “You won’t”.

“Thank you”.

 

Gwen stopped in her tracks and looked over at him. He looked more distressed than she’d ever seen him. Even more so than after their break-up and that’s how she could tell how much this meant to him. How much Harry meant to him. She shifted the clipboard in her hands and pulled Peter into a hug. “It’s going to be ok” she reassured, pulling away again. She just hoped that she was right. 

 

***

 

The elevator was quiet and Gwen was too lost in her thoughts to even register if there was another person in there with her. Usually it didn’t matter anyway. Everyone here was too tied up in their work to make small talk. 

 

“Gwen Stacy”.

 

She jumped at the sound of another voice, not expecting it at all. When Gwen turned she saw Harry standing in the corner and leaning against the railing. He was smiling and seemed cheerful enough, if you ignored the red rings under his eyes. He was obviously exhausted and was practically as white as a ghost. There was a scarf wrapped around his neck. It wasn’t nearly cold enough for it so it must have been hiding the scabs that must have already been appearing. 

 

“Sorry” he apologised, when he noticed that he’d scared her. 

 

“No, it’s ok” she replied, offering him a smile and turning to face him. 

 

“I’m Harry” he said, placing a hand to his chest. “I’m an old friend of Peter’s”.

 

“I know”.

 

“I’m sorry about your break-up”.

 

“It was … complicated” she shrugged. “We’ve decided to stay friends”.

 

“I think he needs that. He cares about you a lot”.

 

“He cares about you a lot too” she muttered, before she could stop herself. 

 

Something flashed in Harry’s eyes. Guilt. “I’ve been meaning to call -”.

 

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me” she interrupted. “He’s worried about you”.

 

Harry looked down at the floor, a ghost of a smile passing over his features. There was a sudden fondness to him that Gwen hadn’t quite expected. “He has every right to be”.

 

“You should talk to him” she said. The elevator bell dinged, indicating that they’d reached her floor. “He needs to hear from you”.

 

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Gwen” he replied, avoiding her eyes.

 

“You too, Harry”. 

  
He offered her one more smile as she left. She could tell that this one was a lot more strained than before. At least now she knew that he wasn’t intentionally hiding from Peter. He definitely cared about him just as much as Peter did, if not even more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be back again next week with you new chapter. So, I'll see you then!


	3. Complicated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter! I hope you all like it :)

Peter knew how risky this was. The last time someone had discovered that spiders held self-healing properties the city was almost destroyed. Even though Dr. Curt Connors had similar intentions to Harry did now when he started his research, that didn’t seem to matter in the end. Peter really didn’t want to fight off giant lizards again. He’d done enough of that for a lifetime. All he knew was that he couldn’t lose his best friend. Not again. 

 

The easiest way to transport the self-healing properties of spiders seemed to be through blood. That was how Peter had experienced it, at least. His blood now held the same properties as spiders. Spider-Man was somehow the only example of this kind of thing working. It must have had something to do with the radioactivity of the spider that bit him while he was at Oscorp. He needed to research but he didn’t have any access to the Oscorp system. And he really didn’t want to hack into it. The security there would be too tight. He’d be caught. 

 

The doorbell clanged and Peter was intent on ignoring it. He had about a billion tabs open in his web browser and he was determined to find  _ something _ that he could use. 

 

“Peter! Could you get the door, please!”.

 

Peter sighed and quickly spun in his desk chair. “Alright, Aunt May!” he replied, dashing quickly for the stairs. It was probably food being delivered. Sometimes if May was too tired from work they’d order in. He wondered what she’d got this time. He was sort of feeling Thai food. Or Chinese even. Peter wrenched the door open and was more than surprised to see who was standing on the other side.

 

“Hey Pete”.

 

“Hi Harry”. 

 

Harry smiled at him. His hands were shoved deep in the pocket of his trench coat. All Peter could think about was just how  _ tired  _ he looked. “I’m sorry. I know I probably should have called first, but I … I thought I’d see if you still lived here or not” he shrugged, staring at the ground now instead. 

 

“You know you’re welcome here at any time” Peter replied, stepping aside to let him in. There was a cold wind out that was less than pleasant. 

 

“I guess I just needed to see you” Harry muttered as Peter closed the door behind him. 

 

“Peter, who was at the door?” Aunt May asked, coming into the room. 

 

“Aunt May, you remember Harry, don’t you?” Peter smiled.

 

“Oh, of course I do!” she exclaimed, quickly coming over to wrap Harry up in a hug. 

 

“Hi May” Harry laughed, hugging her back. 

 

“You’re so grown up now” she added, pulling away. “I was sorry to hear about your father”.

 

“Thank you” 

 

“I’m sure he’s in a better place now”.

 

“I hope so”. 

 

“Well, what are you two boys up to?” she asked, looking between the two of them. 

 

_ I’m dying _ , Harry thought.

 

“Just catching up” Peter shrugged, trying to act casual. “Ten years is a long time”.

 

“Ten years? It really doesn’t feel that long”.

 

“Time flies” Harry laughed. 

 

May looked at her son. Peter was quietly trying to get her to leave in the most polite way possible. She couldn’t help smirking at him because of it. “Well, I’ll leave you boys to it then” she said. “It’s good to have you back, Harry”.

 

“Good to be back”.

 

***

 

“You got rid of the Spyro poster?”.

 

“It’s still around here somewhere. I took it down a while ago” Peter shrugged, laughing as he closed the door behind them. 

 

“I’m offended” Harry smirked, placing a hand to his chest absently. He took a quick glance around the room. It was very different now, which made sense since he hadn’t been in this room, since they were eleven. He spotted a framed picture of Peter and Gwen, a cheesy photo from their graduation day. Peter was pulling a ridiculous face that somehow still classed as a smile. Next to it was a picture of the two of them. The second his eyes locked onto it, the memory flooded back to him. 

 

“You were always terrible at ice-skating” he said. 

 

“I don’t think I had the co-ordination for it” Peter shrugged. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Harry since they entered. He wondered what he was thinking. 

 

“You must have fallen over at least ten times that day” Harry smiled, moving towards the photo and tapping the top of the frame softly. 

 

“Hey! It was only seven”.

 

“Oh  _ only  _ seven. My apologies”.

 

“I like that photo” Peter shrugged, pushing his hands in the pockets of his jeans and staring at the ground. “Neither of us knew you were moving then. We were happy”.

 

“I wouldn’t call it moving so much as being thrown away” Harry muttered. “I know he’s dead now but I don’t think I can forgive him for that”.

 

“I don’t think you should have to”.

 

Harry looked up from the photo, releasing the frame, and over at Peter. “Why did you keep it?” he asked.

 

Peter shuffled his feet on the carpet nervously. “What do you mean?” he muttered.

 

“The photo, Peter. Why did you keep it?”.

 

“You’re my best friend, Harry” he answered. “You always were”.

 

“Bit strange, isn’t it? Having it next to a picture of your girlfriend?”.

 

“Ex-girlfriend” he corrected.

 

Harry stuffed his hands back into his pockets. “I’m glad you kept it” he said.

 

“I know”.

 

A silence fell between the two of them. They both avoided the eyes of the other, unsure what to say. 

 

“You can take that scarf off, you know. It’s pretty warm in here”. Peter ran a hand through his hair and fixed his glasses absently. He looked up at Harry just in time to see the ghost of a smile appear on his face. 

 

“I’m wearing it for a reason” he replied. “It’s covering something”.

 

Peter narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what that meant. There was something underlying the words.

 

“I’m dying, Pete”.

 

Peter felt something swirl through him. A stabbing pain that hadn’t left since Gwen told him about Harry’s illness. “I know”.  _ How could I forget?  _ He wasn’t sure which of them moved first but suddenly they were hugging. His only wish was that it was under different circumstances. “Har, I’m going to help you” he muttered. “I’m not sure how yet but we’re going to find a way”.

 

“I can’t ask you to do that”.

 

“You’re not. I’m offering”.

 

Harry buried his head against Peter’s shoulder. Peter felt like home, which was something that he definitely hadn’t felt in ten years. If he knew anything it was that this was all going to be a lot more complicated than it should have been. “Thank you” he whispered.

 

***

“You know, Peter, I do actually have a job to do here. I can’t just keep sneaking you in like this” Gwen was saying as the two of them walked the corridors of Oscorp. No one really batted an eyelid at them anymore. Peter was here as often as the employees were, but it was still a joke they held between them.

 

“I’m sure your reputation will survive” he teased. “Especially once you get into Oxford”.

 

“I haven’t heard anything yet” she reminded.

 

“Should you have?”.

 

“No”.

 

“Then don’t worry about it”. 

 

Gwen rolled her eyes at him but couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “Do you have any idea what he wants to talk to us for?” she asked. 

 

Peter shrugged. Harry had texted him that morning saying that he wanted to see him. It wasn’t really all that strange but he insisted on Gwen being present as well. “I have no idea what he’s up to” he muttered. The only thing he could think of was that maybe he’d found out about the spiders. Or someone equally terrible that has been locked away in Oscorp. He’d have access to everything if he wanted it, since he owned the company now.

 

“It’s probably something to do with his health”. Gwen knew it was probably something more than that. She was sure that Peter did as well. Neither of them seemed to want to bring it up. 

 

“Have you two met?”.

 

“We ran into each other in the lift last week” she shrugged. 

 

“Yeah? How was that?” he smirked.

 

“You jealous or something?” she teased, curious about how he’d react.

 

“What reason would I have to be jealous” he defended. “Just two of my favourite people meeting. It’s nice”.

 

She shook her head, shoved at his shoulder playfully. “Dork” she smirked. 

 

"You’re still one my favourite people. You know that right?”.

 

“Of course I do”. 

 

“Ok good”.

 

The two of them made it all the way to Harry’s office on one of the top floors of the building. It was probably supposed to be as isolated as possible and considering some of the work that was done here that was understandable. Felicia greeted the two of them when she saw them. She looked as professional as ever, her hair tied up in a neat ponytail and her suit jacket fastened over her button-up shirt. Peter wondered if she was still Harry’s second-in-command as well as his assistant. 

  
“He’s already waiting for you” she smiled, indicating the double doors that lead to the office. She was carrying a file that was almost bursting out the binder it was in. Gwen wondered what was in it. 

 

“Do you know what this is about?” Peter asked her. He hadn’t spoken to Felicia much but he knew that she was approachable enough to ask that question. And she was the closest person to Harry at the moment.

 

She shook her head, “I have an idea but it could be anything”.

 

“He better not fire me” Gwen muttered under her breath. 

 

Peter nudged her teasingly. “He’s not going to  _ fire  _ you”.

 

“It’s not about Oscorp. Well, it sort of is but it’s not about your position here or anything” Felicia shrugged. “You probably shouldn’t keep him waiting. He’s been nervous all morning”.

 

“He’s not the only one” Gwen smirked, tilting her head for a second to indicate Peter. He was staring at the ground so he didn’t notice.

 

Felicia beamed at her in response. 

 

***

 

“You’re here!” Harry exclaimed the second the two of them walked into the room. He immediately headed over to Peter and gave him a hug. “You’re here. Good. I’m so glad you’re here. Gwen it’s so good to see you again” he added, pulling away from Peter. “I know you’re busy and everything but don’t worry if you have any trouble with anything just let me know. I can talk to your supervisor or something. I’ll work it out”.

 

“Harry, are you ok?” Peter asked. Harry was jittery, not really able to keep still and he looked even worse than the last time he’d seen him, just a few days ago. Even though he was smiling he seemed tense, the bags under his eyes were ever redder than before and he seemed to be even paler. He didn’t have a scarf on this time so Peter could see the scabs that had formed on his neck. He’d never been more worried about someone in his life.

 

He nodded. “I’m fine. Really. I mean, I’m dying but I’m fine. I’ve been up all night and I think I found something that can help but I thought I would run it by you. Both of you because Gwen, I’ve heard about how brilliant you are and if Peter trusts you then I trust you too”.

 

“You’re shaking” Peter muttered, taking a few steps towards him. 

 

Harry grabbed onto Peter’s arms absently. His eyes were wide and it was easy to tell that he hadn’t slept. “It’s ok, Pete. Really. I think I’ve really found something that can help”.

 

“What did you find?” Gwen asked. She was trying not to smile at the two of them, because they were quite adorable and it was obvious that they meant a lot to each other. The seriousness of the situation was making it easier to try and ignore that the best she could. 

 

“I’ll show you” Harry replied. He grabbed onto Peter’s hand quickly, without even thinking and led him over to his desk. Gwen followed behind the two of them, anxiety starting to slowly grow within her. There was a computer screen wired into the glass of the tabletop. It was one of the many show-off pieces of technology in the building. It wasn’t something that was necessary but it was fancy and impressive and that’s what Oscorp seemed to run on. Harry released Peter’s hand and started sorting through files, obviously looking for something in particular. Being the head of the company he had access to everything which must have helped him in this instance. “What do you know about spiders?”.

 

Gwen caught Peter’s eye, she could see worry starting to eat at him. “Not much” she lied. 

 

“Nothing more than I should, I guess” Peter shrugged. It was a little stiff but Harry was still searching through folder after folder. 

 

“I didn’t know this” he started, “it was all very secretive and my dad never really talked to me anyway but they were working on this for fourteen years. Fourteen years! And it never reached human trials but there’s all this research and there has to be something that I can do with it. There just has to”. He was running purely on adrenaline at this point. Neither Peter or Gwen said anything so Harry pulled up the video that he found and pressed play, his hand dropping back over Peter’s. He tried to pretend that he wasn’t shaking but he knew that Peter wasn’t stupid. Peter knew him too well. 

 

“Spiders have self-healing properties” Gwen said under her breath. Of course she knew that Harry would find  _ something _ to do with that, considering what had happened the year before. It was obvious that Dr. Curt Connors wasn’t the only one experimenting with spiders. Their self-healing really would be helpful if it was ever stabilised. 

 

“I know what happened last year. The lizard thing, but I’m not Connors and this is the only lead that I have” Harry replied, looking up at the two of them. “I have nothing left to lose” his eyes landed on Peter,  _ Except you _ .

 

_ I do _ , Peter thought, holding his gaze. “It’s dangerous, Harry”.

 

“Yes, but there must be some way that we could do it. We could use spiders. There has to be something. Maybe it didn’t work for Connors but it worked for someone else”.

 

Gwen knew where this was going and she could sense that Peter did too. Harry pulled up a picture of Spider-Man on the screen and looked between the two of them expectantly. She heard Peter sigh next to her. 

 

“If Spider-Man exists then this can work. We just have to figure out how”. 

 

Peter had never been more conflicted in his life.

 

“There must be some way that we can contact him or something. Maybe he’ll be able to tell us what happened”. 

 

Gwen looked at Peter. She could see how upset he was becoming over this. It was risky, and Harry could die but he didn’t want to lose his best friend. 

 

Harry grabbed onto Peter’s hand, squeezing it. “Peter, please, say you’ll help me”.

 

Peter looked at Harry for a moment. There was hope in his eyes and he would never be able to say no to that. They had to find something. There would be a way. He looked over at Gwen. Her mouth was set in a hard line and he could tell he knew what he was thinking, but she nodded anyway. “Harry, you know I’ll do anything to help you” he said.

 

“This will take time” Gwen reminded. “We can’t rush it”.

 

“I don’t really have time” Harry muttered. 

 

“You have enough”.

 

“You’ll help too?” he asked her.

 

She nodded.

 

Harry broke out into the biggest smile that Gwen had ever seen on him. Peter felt sick. 

 

“Har, you need some sleep” Peter said, squeezing his hand back. 

 

“I need to a drink” he replied. 

 

“No, Harry, Peter’s right. You really should get some sleep. I’ll start looking into it as soon as I can” Gwen added. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find something”.

 

“Let me take you home”.

 

Harry was leaning heavily against the table now. It was getting harder and harder to stay upright. “I’ll grant you full access, Gwen” he muttered. “If anyone questions it, tell them to come to me”. 

 

Gwen nodded. “Thank you” she said. She looked at Peter for a moment. He nodded and she left the room, needing to get back to work. 

 

Harry made his way back around the table so that he was standing next to Peter. “Don’t leave yet” he said. 

 

“I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re going to get some sleep” he replied. 

 

“You’re turning into your Aunt” he smirked. 

 

Peter put an arm around his shoulders and pulled Harry against him. “Come on, let’s get you home”.

 

“You’re all handsy today” he laughed.

 

“That what you want?” Peter teased. He didn’t realise what he said until it had come out, but Harry seemed too far gone to even care.

 

“Maybe. You don’t need to know what that is” he replied. 

 

_ Maybe I already do _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next week!


	4. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up, my dears. Thank you for sticking with this! I appreciate you all :)

Peter was only truly sure about one thing. He really wished Oscorp would stop giving people random superpowers. First him, then Connors and now Max Dillon. Or Electro, as he wanted to be known. It really wasn’t doing anyone any favours. Harry might be next and Peter really didn’t want to think about that. He would already have to tell him that he was Spider-Man. He couldn’t keep something like that from him under the circumstances. At least, he wasn’t the best liar when it came to people who knew him. He was surprised Aunt May hadn’t caught on yet. Or maybe she secretly knew. It wouldn’t be a shock if she did. 

 

Harry had been consumed by the idea that there might be something that could save him. He was barely sleeping, if at all, and it was driving Peter crazy. He was running himself into the ground all for something that might not even work. But it was all they had. His illness was getting worse by the day, probably driven by all his unhealthy habits. It was progressing much faster than it should have been and Harry didn’t even seem to care that much (“I’m dying, Pete. Dying faster really doesn’t matter”). He was relying on Felicia more than he really should be but she was doing an incredible job for the both of them. Peter just wished that everything would slow down so he would have some time to  _ think _ . Between meeting up with Gwen to discuss whatever research she was picking up at Oscorp, trying to make sure Harry doesn’t accidentally die while they’re trying to save him, and all of his Spider-Man work on the side Peter was absolutely exhausted. He wasn’t even taking photos anymore to send to the  _ Bugle.  _ So he didn’t have a steady income. Everything was a mess in the worst way possible. 

 

“I have to tell him” Peter muttered, staring into the coffee cup in his hands. It was black, because that’s how desperate he’d been lately. That’s how much caffeine he needed to function. He could feel Gwen’s worry from the other side of the table.

 

“It’ll probably be easier that way” she consoled. “He’s become obsessed with Spider-Man anyway so maybe it’ll work in your favour”.

 

He rolled his eyes at her. “He’s only obsessed because it’s his only lifeline” he reminded. 

 

“Maybe there’s more to it than that”. She flicked at her mug absently, gazing over at him. He was currently in his most disheveled state yet. His hair was messy and he’d been wearing the same hoodie for about four days straight. She was pretty sure he wasn’t getting much sleep either. Between being a vigilante and the constant worrying over Harry he was starting to go a little crazy. 

 

“Do you think he’ll care?” he asked.

 

“That you’re Spider-Man? Peter, he adores you”.

 

“That’s not what I meant”.

 

Gwen leaned over, placing her hand on top of his against the table. “Peter, it’s going to be ok”.

 

“If his dad didn’t die … if he didn’t come back … he would have died without me seeing him again”.

 

She didn’t know what to say to that, because he was probably right. So she just squeezed his hand before pulling away again. “I think if you tell him it’ll be a lot easier than sneaking around all the time” she explained. “You deserve that”.

 

“Gwen, I’d drain my blood dry if it would save him” he whispered.

 

“I know. It won’t come to that. I promise”.

 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep”.

 

Gwen looked at the broken boy in front of her. He was so different from the Peter that she’d first met but still so much the same. “But those are the best kind” she said. 

 

Peter’s head snapped up. He couldn’t help smiling at that. 

 

Gwen laughed and somehow that made everything feel just a little bit better. 

 

***

 

“Peter! Peter, you’re here. You’re here. It’s so good to see you”. Harry practically launched himself across the room the second Peter entered, wrapping him up into a desperate hug when he was close enough. 

 

Part of Peter was worried that if he squeezed too hard, all of the bones in Harry’s body would break. He seemed more fragile with every passing day, which is the exact opposite of the way he used to be. He’d always been the strong one when they were kids. Harry was shaking but the when Peter hugged him back he seemed to still, burying his head against Peter’s shoulder. The more time that passed the more erratic, and somehow affectionate, he was becoming. When Harry pulled away all Peter knew was that it was too soon. 

 

Harry stayed close to him, holding onto his arms like Peter was the only thing keeping him upright. Peter noted the crystal bottle on his desk immediately. 

 

“Harry, when was the last time you ate?”.  _ And drank something that wasn’t alcoholic. _

 

“Why does it matter?” he beamed at him. His eyes glazed over and more distant than they ever had been. 

 

“Sometimes it feels like you’re working against me” he muttered.

 

“What do you mean?”.

 

“I’m trying to save you but we really need time to do that. Me and Gwen. And you’re here trying to destroy yourself from the inside out”.

 

“I think outside is already destroying itself well enough. I’m just evening things out” he shrugged. 

 

Peter closed his eyes for a moment and sighed to himself. As if when he opened his eyes again none of this would be real. “I’m taking you to get some food” he said. 

 

“Why?”. 

 

“Because if you’re not going to take care of yourself, then I will”. Peter crossed the room, quickly picking up Harry’s scarf and bringing it back over to him. He knew that Harry hated being in public without it. He didn’t like to be pitied. He pushed the scarf into Harry’s hands. “I’m not ready to lose you yet”.

 

“I’m sorry”.

 

Peter tugged on the sleeve of Harry’s coat very gently, trying to convince him to move. Harry nodded, hooking the scarf carefully around his neck. “I can’t remember the last time I was in sunlight” he muttered, more to himself than to Peter. 

 

Peter knew that the easiest way to keep Harry from shaking was to stay close to him. He didn’t want to think too far into that. He didn’t really have the headspace at the moment. “Just making sure this one eats” he said to Felicia as the two of them walked passed her. 

 

“Probably an improvement” she replied, a small smirk teasing her lips. 

 

“Felicia -” Harry muttered.

 

“I have everything under control here” she interrupted, her voice soft and reassuring. “Don’t worry”.

 

Harry would never be able to thank her enough. At least he could tell that she knew that.

 

“Go and get some food” she smiled.

 

***

 

Gwen was just a little bit overworked and she knew it, but there were a lot more important things to focus on. She didn’t see Harry as often as Peter (she thankfully still had her job and managed to get everything that she needed done by the end of the work day), but when she did she knew she was slowly watching him turn into a corpse. The drinking definitely wasn’t helping with that, but she really couldn’t blame him for that. It must be horrible knowing that you’re dying and hardly being able to do anything about it. He could at least try to not hurry the process. She knew how hard that was on Peter, who was putting just about every last inch of his energy into finding a cure.

 

Oscorp had billions of files and now that she had full access to their system she had to deal with all of them. It was a lot more difficult than she thought it would be, since everything was so secretive around here. It didn’t help that she wasn’t entirely sure what she should be looked for. Spiders and self-healing. That was all she had. She’d already made her way through all of Connors research, hoping that he’d at least locked onto something that could help. She couldn’t find anything that wouldn’t turn Harry into a giant lizard man and that’s exactly what they were avoiding. So she’d been back to square one for about two days. And there was nothing more annoying to her then that. She wasn’t good with clean slates. 

 

***

 

“I can’t remember the last time I had a hot dog” Harry muttered.

 

“Seriously? You’re in New York. There’s hot dogs vendors pretty much on every street corner” Peter threw his arms out, indicating the one they’d just bought from. 

 

“I don’t really get out much” he smirked. 

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t lock yourself away in your tower so much then”.

 

“Who am I? Rapunzel?”. 

 

The two boys looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. In that moment, suddenly all the strain they were under disappeared. 

 

***

 

Spider venom. Two words that suddenly made everything somehow within reach. Oscorp had kept the spider venom from the radioactive spiders hidden away, even after being told to destroy the entire project. Oh, those sneaky bastards. This could save Harry’s life. Gwen was reaching for her phone before she even registered it. She still had Peter on speed dial. 

 

***

 

“Pete, I really want you to know something” Harry said, turning serious. He grabbed onto Peter’s arm, his other holding onto the railing behind him. Somehow they’d found themselves back by the water’s edge.

 

“What is it?” Peter asked, his free hand coming to rest on top of Harry’s without even thinking. 

  
“I know that I haven’t made this easy on you -”.

 

“Harry, you really don’t need to apologise”.

 

“No, let me finish. This is really important” he muttered, avoiding Peter’s eyes. When Peter didn’t say anything he continued. “I know that I haven’t made things easy for you. If anything, I’ve been making them harder. I just want you to know that after everything, I think you’re the only reason I’m alive right now”. 

 

“Harry -”.

 

“Not just because you’ve been trying to find a cure. You and Gwen. I know how hard you’re both working. Gwen owes me nothing and yet she’s helping anyway. Not that you owe me anything because you don’t. I mean - this isn’t coming out right”. Harry looked up at him, locking eyes. “You told me earlier that you weren’t ready to lose me and I guess this is my way of telling you that I’m not ready to lose you either”. 

 

Peter didn’t know what to say to that. He looked into Harry’s ice-blue eyes and saw nothing but pure honestly looking back at him. He squeezed Harry’s hand that was still resting on his arm, his brain working overtime to try and think of something to respond with. His train of thought was interrupted by his phone ringing. Harry pulled away, laughing and leaning back against the railing as Peter scrambled in his pockets for his phone. His distinct ring tone was almost taunting. “Hey Gwen” he managed.

 

Harry watched as Peter’s eyes widened, a bright smile lighting up his face. He could feel hope start to swirl through him. Could she really have found something?

 

“Please tell me you’re not joking!”. There was a pause while Gwen answered and then Peter let out a delighted laugh. He ran a hand through his hair, spinning on the spot with pure joy. “Gwen, thank you! I’ll see you soon” he said before hanging up. 

 

“Good news?” Harry asked, trying not to get his hopes up too high. Even if they’d found something, there was always the possibility that it wouldn’t work. He really wanted to ignore those sorts of thoughts. 

 

Peter gazed over at his best friend for a moment. He adjusted his glasses quickly and then pulled Harry into a hug. “We’re going to save you” he muttered into his hair. 

 

Harry hugged back, savouring the moment. “The Spider-Man theme?” he asked, smirking. “I didn’t realise you were such a big fan”.

 

“Now, I wouldn’t really call myself a fan” Peter smiled sheepishly, pulling away. 

 

Harry narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, searching for the undercurrent of those words.  _ Oh _ . “So when were you going to tell me about this?” he asked, not even pretending to be angry.

 

“Today, actually” Peter shrugged. “Didn’t want to keep it from you”.

 

“Should I just call you Spidey from now on?”.

 

“Peter is fine. I prefer Peter anyway”.

 

Harry smiled up at him. Of  _ course  _ Peter was Spider-Man. Spider-Man was an enigma that gave people hope. There was no one who summed that up better than Peter Parker.

 

“Gwen needs to talk to us” Peter said, smile never fading.

 

“Does she know?”.

 

He nodded. “I’m not the best at keeping secrets” he admitted.

 

“Does anyone else know?”.

 

“Just the two of you”.

 

Harry smiled at that, nudging Peter playfully. “Nerd” he teased.

 

Peter laughed, wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulder and pulled him against his side. “Stop stalling” he smirked. 

 

“Stalling to spend more time alone with you? Never”.

 

“Pfft”.

 


	5. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a relatively short chapter because writer's block has been hitting me a lot lately so I'm sorry about that. Don't worry, next week's is longer :)

The two of them wasted no time heading back to Oscorp. Gwen was waiting for them as they entered the building. Harry was already bursting with questions but he knew he couldn’t ask them around employees. Some of them were looking at the three of them suspiciously and Harry was more than grateful when they made it to the elevator. He leaned against the railing behind him and tried not to seem like he was about to collapse. 

 

“Out of curiosity” he muttered, looking over at Gwen, “How long have you known?”.

 

“I found out just before I called” she shrugged.

 

“No, I mean about Peter”.

 

Gwen’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what he was referring to. Peter was avoiding both of their eyes, standing at Harry’s side and staring at the ground. “About Peter’s bisexuality?” she asked. 

 

Peter’s eyes widened, but he stayed intent on the ground. Harry looked over at him for a moment, he seemed to be thinking something over. Gwen knew what that was without even asking. 

 

“Oh sorry” she muttered. “Do you mean the Spider-Man thing?”.

 

“Yes! The Spider-Man thing!” Harry beamed at her. 

 

“I’ve known for a while” she shrugged. “I think a year or so now”.

 

“Probably” Peter replied under his breath. 

 

“I think he only tells people when it’s unavoidable” Gwen explained. “You would have found out anyway”.

 

“I’m glad you told me” Peter looked at him. 

 

“I couldn’t keep it from you” he explained. “Not now”.

 

The doors of the elevator pulled open and the three of them made their way down the hallway towards Harry’s office. Gwen kept up a fast pace, incredibly wary of the eyes of other employees on them. Peter was walking close enough to Harry that there arms were touching, he could feel how much his friend was struggling. Even if Harry was keeping up a good enough facade. It must have taken a lot of energy, pretending to be something he wasn’t. Pretending to be ok.

 

“How was lunch?” Felicia asked as the three of them approached the double doors. 

 

“Enlightening” Harry replied, tugging at his scarf absently. His hands were starting to shake again and he was trying his best to control it. He knew that she’d noticed but she was kind enough not to mention it.

 

“I’ll take over your meeting for this afternoon” she said instead.

 

“Cancel it. You can have the afternoon off”.

 

Felicia smiled at him, shaking her head as the three of them moved passed her. She’d have to politely decline that offer. The company needed to function as normal and she was more than capable of helping with that. She was aware that Harry knew that. The incredible raise in her paycheck was the first indicator of that. 

 

***

 

Gwen quickly made her way over to Harry’s desk and the incredibly vain computer implanted in the glass. She couldn’t help but smirk as she pulled up the files that she needed. At least it was easy to use.

 

“It is short of ridiculous, isn’t it?” Harry mused, dropping into his desk chair and trying to pretend that it’s a casual gesture and not because his legs were about to give out.

 

“It’s very … Oscorp” she replied. 

 

That evoked a laugh from him. “I agree”.

 

“It’s good that you know about Peter being Spider-Man” she said. “There’s no way we could have avoided that. Not with this new information”.

 

Harry stayed quiet, sharing a look with Peter who was standing on the other side of the desk.

 

“Did Peter tell you  _ how  _ he became Spider-Man?” she continued, looking up at him again.

 

Harry shook his head. “I think he was leaving that up to my imagination” he replied.

 

“Pfft” Peter muttered, rolling his eyes.

 

“I think he’s agreeing with me” he joked.

 

Gwen smiled at them, eyes flicking between the two. There was an unavoidable fondness is her gaze. “So”, she explained, “Dr. Curt Connors was running an experiment using spider venom”.

 

“Because it has self-healing properties” Harry supplied.

 

“Exactly. The spiders they used were radioactive. Peter managed to get bitten by one”.

 

“Which made him into Spider-Man” Harry nodded.

 

“Sort of. I’m still Peter” he spoke up”.

 

“Oh, I know. I’d know you anywhere, dork”.

 

“After what happened … the lizard thing … Oscorp was ordered to destroy the entire experiment” she continued. “All of the radioactive spiders and the research connected to them”.

 

“And did they?”.

 

Gwen shook her head. She couldn’t help the smile that was growing. “They got rid of the spiders in their physical forms, but they kept the venom”. 

 

“The radioactive spider venom?” Peter asked. 

 

“Yes” she confirmed. 

 

Harry wasn’t sure what to think. Of course, Oscorp wouldn’t have got rid of everything. His father was too shady about that. This company had too many secrets hidden away, and if they had truly been on the brink of something they would have never let it go. But this spider venom … there was a possibility that -

 

“Can it save him?”. Peter’s eyes were intent on Gwen. 

 

Gwen took a deep breath. “I’ll need to do some tests” she said. “On the venom. Peter I’ll probably need some of your blood. There must a reason that it worked for you and not for Connors. There has to be some kind of difference. And Harry, I really don’t want you to turn into a massive lizard”.

 

“Understandable” Harry muttered. 

 

“I can’t guarantee anything. Not just yet, but there’s a possibility that we could use it”.

 

“Would he become like me? Like another Spider-Man?”.

 

“I don’t know” she admitted. “Harry, I might test some of your blood too, if that’s ok” she turned to him.

 

Harry nodded, “Take as much as you need. You can use the labs here. Whichever lab you want. Or all of them, if you need to”.

 

She nodded. “I think one will suffice” she smiled.

 

“I’ll … tell them that I’ve given you a special project. Something to give you an edge over your Oxford competitors” he said. “That’s a good excuse, right?”.

 

“A very good one”.

 

“Then it’s done then”.

 

Peter’s phone beeped in his pocket. He apologised before tugging it out, gazing down at the screen. He sighed to himself. Electro again. 

 

“Spider-Man business?” Gwen asked. She knew that look all too well by now.

  
“It’s Electro again” he muttered. “I’ll have to go and have a little talk with our friend Maxy”.

 

“Do you keep the suit under your clothes at all times or something?” Harry asked.

 

Peter shook his head. “Nah, I’ll have to go and get it”. 

 

“You can take my car if you want”.

 

Peter smiled at him. “No need” he said.

 

“Oh. Right. You can web there, can’t you?”.

 

“Exactly”.

 

“Make sure you leave the building first” Gwen reminded. “Don’t want to seem suspicious”.

 

“Gwen” he smirked at her. “Have a little faith”. 

 

Peter nodded at the two of them, offering them one more smile each before making for the double doors. He said a quick farewell to Felicia on his way out as well.

 

Harry covered his face with his hands, rubbing at his eyes for a moment. “Peter is an asshole” he muttered to no one in particular. 

 

“How so?” Gwen asked. 

 

Harry looked up at her. “When we first met again. When we went down to the waterfront. I asked him what he’d been doing. He said he’d been dabbling in some web design”. 

 

Gwen couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping her. “Oh, of  _ course  _ he did” she said.

 

“It was right front of me the whole time” he explained, a smile overcoming him. “And I just couldn’t see it”.

 

The two of them laughed for a few moments at just how ridiculous this entire situation was. And of course, at Peter’s complete lack of subtlety.

 

“Gwen” Harry said, sobering again. “Do you really think that it will work?”.

 

She didn’t want to get Harry’s hopes up for nothing, but she had faith in herself and in Peter. In all of them really. That still didn’t mean she could lie to him. “It might” she admitted. “There  _ is  _ a possibility”.

 

Harry nodded slowly, letting the information sink into his brain. A small amount of hope sparking inside him that he didn’t want to crush just yet. “I think at this point” he admitted, “this isn’t for me anymore”. He glanced over at the door that Peter just left through and wondered when his best friend had started meaning so much to him. He knew the answer was that he always had. 

 

“I know” Gwen said, following his gaze for a moment”.

 

Harry sighed, looking down at his hand that was shaking against the table. The convulsions were happening more regularly now. He hated that he was slowly losing control. “Gwen” he muttered, “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this. For all of this”.

 

“You don’t need to thank me”.

 

“Let me guess, you’re not doing this for me anyway. You owe me nothing. You’re doing this for Peter”.

 

“No” she replied, voice firm. “I’m doing this for both of you”. 

 

Harry looked up at her. At this girl that he hadn’t even met a few months ago. That had meant nothing to him. That he wouldn’t know if it wasn’t for Peter. And now she was probably the only reason that he was going to stay alive. The fact that she was doing this for him, because she wanted to and not because Peter had asked her to. He’d never felt more touched in his life. “Gwen, if it doesn’t work. Peter -”.

 

“He’ll be ok” she reassured. “Eventually”.

 

“Eventually” Harry smiled, a laugh tempting him. “I wish I had time for that”.

 

“I think that if we’re lucky, and Peter always seems to bring luck with him, that you’ll have more time that you think”. Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the boy in front of her. “So when are you going to tell him you’re in love with him?” she asked.

 

Harry’s head snapped up. “What?”.

 

“I have eyes” she smirked. “It’s written all over your face whenever you’re near him”.

 

“I, um” Harry stumbled, rubbing his eyes again. “I don’t know” he admitted.

 

“It’s your decision” she said, voice turning from teasing to gentle. “But all I’m going to say is don’t underestimate how much you mean to him. Peter’s putting every ounce of his energy into helping you” she reminded.

 

“I know” he hesitated. “That’s what terrifies me”.

 

“Just think it over. The two of you dancing so carefully around each other isn’t really helping things”.

 

“If I die-”.

 

“Harry, we’re going to save you. One way or another” she reassured. “You’re not losing him and he’s not losing you”.

 

“Thank you, Gwen”.

 

“Now, I have to get back to work, but I hope you remember this conversation”.

 

“I’m not drunk” he spluttered. 

 

“I know” she smirked. “And you’re not forgetful either, are you?”.

 

Harry watched and Gwen turned on her heel and left the room. He wasn’t sure when he started to like Gwen Stacy, or started thinking of her as a friend, but he was starting to realise that he kind of adored her. For her honesty, and her ability to somehow knock some sense into him. 

 


	6. Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, gals and non-binary pals here's the new chapter. I find the title fitting, but not in the way you would initially expect I guess. Have a good week :)

Peter didn’t think that his blood looked different to anyone else’s. He’d googled spider blood earlier and there wasn’t much of a colour difference or anything. Part of him was sort of expecting his blood to come out black like oil or something, but it was red just like everyone else’s. There was nothing special about it. Except that it could maybe save his best friend’s life. He wasn’t entirely sure if Gwen was qualified for this but he didn’t really care. He knew they were just grasping at any sort of lead at this point. He trusted her anyway.

 

“This’ll be an interesting experiment” Gwen said, holding up the vial with Peter’s blood in it. “Now we’ll know how much of you is spider and how much of you is Peter”.

 

Peter rolled his eyes at the smirk on her face but couldn’t help but laughing. “I just hope it works, you know” he shrugged.

  
“I know”.

 

The door shifted open and Harry wandered in. It was late, they had to assure that there wasn’t anyone around to see them do this to avoid suspicion. The last employees must have just left.

 

“Some people work really hard here” Harry muttered. 

 

“What did you expect?” Gwen laughed.

 

“I don’t know. Not everyone is like my father. That’s kind of reassuring. I kind of expected everyone to be plotting against me or something”.

 

“Yeah, that’s not  _ everyone _ ” Peter smirked.

 

Harry glared at him but that only seemed to make it worse. “I hate you” he said.

 

Peter shrugged. “No, you don’t” he beamed.

 

“Alright, Peter” Gwen muttered, trying not to smirk at the two of them. It was almost like she was interrupting a moment even though she’d been there the whole time. She couldn’t wait to tease Peter about it later. “You’re all done. Harry -” she waved a hand to indicate the chair that Peter stood up from. 

 

Harry gazed over at the vial that Gwen had placed carefully on the desk, making sure that it won’t roll away at all. “I’m not sure what I was expecting” he said, “but somehow normality wasn’t it”.

 

“I thought it would be black or something” Peter mused,

 

“I thought maybe green”. Harry sat down in the chair and looked up at Gwen. He wasn’t going to admit that he was scared of needles. There was no way. 

  
“You still afraid of needles?” Peter asked.

 

“Shut up” he groaned.  _ Dammit, Peter Parker. _

 

To her credit, Gwen tried not to react to it. She focused on what she was doing and told Harry to roll his sleeve up. His skin was slowly becoming translucent and the veins stood out easily against it. At least that would make it easier for her, he thought.

 

“It’s just like a blood test” Gwen reassured. 

 

“I hate those” he replied.

  
“It’ll be over before you know it”.

 

“I hope so”.

 

Peter pulled up another chair and pointedly didn’t say anything when Harry gripped onto his hand. He just squeezed back and started talking about whatever pointless bullshit came to mind to distract him. 

 

“All done” Gwen smiled, quickly sticking a label on the vial so that she wouldn’t mix the two of them up. 

 

Harry opened his eyes and tried not to look over at Gwen, to avoid seeing his own blood. He looked over at Peter instead. Peter who was still holding his hand. Peter who he really didn’t want to let go of. 

 

“Doesn’t seem to be much difference in the colour” Gwen muttered. “This is going to be interesting”.

 

Peter was smiling at him and Harry couldn’t remember how to breathe. “I guess so” he said. 

 

“You did great” Peter reassured, a smirk teasing his lips. 

 

“Thanks”.

 

“I think it’s best if I start on this in the morning. We should probably all get some sleep” Gwen was saying. 

 

Harry forced himself to look away from Peter and at her. “Thank you, Gwen. For all of this”.

 

“You don’t need to keep thanking me” she smiled. “Really, it’s ok”.

 

Peter cleared his throat and let go of Harry’s hand. “Sleep sounds like a good idea” he said, rubbing at his eyes absently and standing. 

 

“Don’t forget that you have to stop off at the grocery store on your way home” Gwen reminded.

 

“Why? Oh, the eggs. Of course. It’s always the eggs”.

 

Gwen laughed and rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t keep her waiting”.

 

“Right” Peter beamed at her, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked over at Harry.

 

For a moment they just looked at each other. Harry’s mind was repeating the words  _ ‘Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t go’ _ a thousand times over. “Have a good night, Peter” he said instead.

 

“You too, Harry. See you, Gwen”.

 

“Bye, Peter”.

 

Harry dropped his head into his hands the second Peter left the room. He felt Gwen’s hand on his shoulder for a moment, trying to reassure him. “I’m never going to tell him” he muttered.

 

“You will” she replied, “Just not straight away”.

 

“How did you tell him?” he looked up at her. “You know, when you two were together”.

 

She shrugged. “Everything just kind of fell into place for us. And then it fell away again”.

 

“I’m sorry”.

 

“Don’t worry” she smiled. “It’s better this way. We’re better as friends, I think”.

 

“Gwen-”.

 

“It’s not hard for me, don’t worry. I’ll always care about him. It’s impossible not to. I’m sure you know that better than anyone, but I’m ok”.

 

Harry nodded. He stood and rolled his sleeve down again. “You have a good night, Gwen” he said. 

 

“Try and get some sleep” she replied.

 

“No promises” he muttered. 

 

“Harry, we’re going to pull you through this”. Gwen picked up the bag that she’d wrapped the two vials in. They would have to be locked away for the night, just so no one could find them. That would be beyond horrible. 

 

“I think I’ve just come to accept it at this stage” he shrugged. “If it doesn’t work then … it doesn’t matter”.

 

“Of course it matters” she replied. “You matter, Harry. And not just because you’re the CEO of this company, even though it might feel like that”. 

 

“Thank you, Gwen”.

 

“Bye, Harry”.

 

He nodded to her and she left the room. Harry was once again left with the familiar sense of loneliness he’d know his entire life. He probably wasn’t going to get any sleep that night. 

 

***

 

Gwen sort of hoped that one day she would be randomly stopped on the street because someone was doing a quiz on spiders and she managed to know all the answers, impressing the person beyond belief. She never thought she would know this much about one animal but she felt like she was a wealth of knowledge. There were other scientists working on self-healing. There were other scientists that had managed to heal cracks within a substance that formed through heating. There weren’t any scientists that knew how to heal human beings yet. 

 

Spider-Man was an anomaly, but he was a mystery that she needed to solve. Gwen had analysed both Peter and Harry’s blood. Now she just needed to figure out where the spider venom was hidden. She’d need that for any of this to work. She needed to study it. The only problem was that no one knew where it was. Felicia was being incredibly helpful and looking into it but the poor woman was already involved in so many different things - including basically running the company at this point - that it wasn’t going anywhere just yet. Gwen was patient, but she knew that Peter wasn’t, and that really didn’t help things. She didn’t want to them to find themselves in a situation where they were running out of time. 

 

***

 

“I should have known that you would live in a penthouse” Peter smirked. He’d never been to Harry’s apartment. Harry pretty much lived in his office most of the time now anyway, but Peter was getting insistent about him actually sleeping in his own bed. The apartment was lavish in all the ways that he’d expected and more. Expensive furniture, bare walls with vaguely aesthetically pleasing modern art hung up in various locations, a newly refurbished kitchen and a great view of the city as the sun set over the horizon. It was almost too perfect.

 

“Would it help if I told you I bought it myself?” Harry laughed, making his way over to the couch. Peter had paused near the doorway, looking around absently. He wondered what was going through his head. 

 

“Of course you did. It must be nice being a billionaire”. 

 

“It’d be nicer if I could tell if people like me for me or for my money” he shrugged, half-collapsing into the couch and undoing the scarf from his neck. It was almost getting irritating to wear now and that’s how he knew he was getting worse. That and the fact that he was slowly losing control of his hands. He looked down at them now, watched as they shook and he couldn’t even stop them. 

 

Peter looked over at his best friend. There was no doubt that he’d been getting weaker over the last few weeks, and he couldn't stand the fact that he was watching Harry deteriorate before his own eyes. It was the most painful thing he’d ever had to witness. He crossed the room, sitting next to Harry and pulling his hands into his. They still didn’t stop shaking.

 

“It’ll stop eventually” Harry muttered. There was something lacing his tone that Peter couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was almost anger but was somehow mixed with guilt.

 

Peter squeezed his hands gently. “I can be patient” he muttered.

 

Harry looked up at him. There was a soft smile on Peter’s face and he could feel his breath stutter because of it. At least he could pass that off as part of the illness. He didn’t think there’s ever been a time in his life where he’s been able to stop thinking about Peter, and the way he’s holding onto his hands really wasn’t helping. He thought about Gwen and how she genuinely believes that he’ll be able to tell Peter how he feels one day. Having her faith in him about this is somehow incredibly bittersweet. 

 

“I’m sorry that it’s like this. If I could just take it away somehow without all this research and everything, you know that I would” Peter said, staring down at Harry’s hands. He trailed his fingers over the lines and thinks briefly about palm reading and how they’re supposed to tell the story of someone’s life.

 

“It’s genetic” Harry shrugs. “Nothing you can do about it”.

 

“I wish there was”.

 

“You’re already doing as much as you can”.

 

“I know, but I just - I don’t know. I wish there was more somehow?”.

 

Peter was literally doing the most. Harry had never had someone this determined to help him before, about anything. Whether it be homework or whatever. No one seemed to care as much as Peter. Harry wished that he could be brave. He put up a facade but he never really felt it. He just needed a burst of courage in this moment. 

 

Peter closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly looking very pained and then he looked up at Harry again. And he just looked at him. Peter wasn’t smiling and Harry would do anything to make him smile again.

 

_ Here I go _ , he thought. “Peter, I need to tell you something” he said. “Something that I’ve never told anyone and that I’ve kept locked away for a long time. Since we were kids, even”.

 

“Something like a secret?” Peter laughed. 

 

And there it is. That beautiful, wonderful Peter Parker smile. God, the things Harry would do for that smile. Just for Peter in general. He’d probably tear the world apart if Peter asked him to. He wouldn’t of course, Peter was too  _ good  _ for that. Too good for him. “Peter I-”.

 

Peter’s phone started ringing. The Spider-Man theme song almost mocking him. He let go of Harry’s hands and shuffled in his pockets for his phone. Harry felt empty. 

 

“May?” Peter muttered into the phone. And then he’s standing, his free hand scrubbing through his hair. “Oh shit. Sorry. I’m sorry, May. I’m on my way now. I’ll be there in - in ten minutes! Yeah, ten minutes. I’ll be right there”. Peter hung up and looked down and Harry, and there’s that guilty look again. “I was supposed to pick up my Aunt May from work and I totally forgot. I’m so sorry”.

 

“It’s ok” Harry finds himself saying, even if he feels the complete opposite of ok.

 

“Oh! But you were going to tell me something” he rambles, sitting down and grabbing Harry’s hands again. 

 

Harry pulled away. “It’s not really that important. It can wait”.

 

“You sure?”.

 

“Yeah. Go on, Pete. You probably shouldn’t keep her waiting. Especially if you’re already late”.

 

“Sometimes I have the worst memory” Peter laughed, standing again. 

 

“Maybe Gwen should look into how forgetful spiders are” Harry found himself smirking. 

  
Peter ducked his head, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe” he agreed. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?”.

 

“Sure”.

 

“Make sure you get some sleep tonight. Some real sleep”.

 

“I will”.

 

“Bye Harry”.

 

“Bye Peter”.

  
The door closed behind Peter and for some reason Harry just wants to crawl into a ball.  _ It’s always been you, Peter Parker _ . That’s what he’d wanted to say. The likelihood of him managing to find the courage for that again was below zero. Maybe it was better this way. He was dying anyway. What did it matter?


	7. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm posting this about 12 hours early because I won't be able to post it tomorrow. Hope that's ok and that you enjoy this :)

The lab was deathly silent and the more Gwen was becoming aware of it, the more was getting on her nerves. She didn’t usually mind silence, but she must have been spending too much time with Peter because it was starting to grate on her. They still hadn’t found the spider venom and even she was getting impatient. She needed it for research purposes. She needed to experiment with it, to see just how much they would need to help Harry. They couldn’t just flood him with it, and they didn’t  _ really  _ need another Spider-Man but considering it only took one bite for Peter to become who he was she knew they needed to be cautious. Peter was a lot healthier than Harry, so it was possible that just the one bite was all his body needed to activate his super strength. Harry’s cells were constantly dying, so he’d need a lot more. At least, that’s what she was theorising. Gwen had no proof at this stage. They were all holding out on hypotheticals.

 

***

 

Felicia had gotten used to the ever pressing silence that enveloped Oscorp overnight. She tried not to work late too often, but finding the spider venom was of the utmost priority. She knew how important it was that it be located so that Gwen could start her analysis. She tried not to think too much about how they were constantly running out of time. Harry was getting weaker with each passing day, and as much as he tried to hide it from everyone they were all aware of it. 

 

Oscorp held so many files that it was absolutely ridiculous. They had files from back when the company was founded decades ago that no one truly needed, but everything was catalogued and shelved away. Just in case. There were a lot of encrypted files, meaning to stay hidden but Felicia was slowly making her way through them all. She knew that if she had to hide something that the company was supposed to destroy - and the spider venom wasn’t the only example of that she’d found - she would hide it under layers of encryption and name it something completely ordinary and irrelevant so as to not draw attention to it. Just when she thought it was over, that this was somehow a lost cause, she always found more files hidden away. 

 

Felicia rubbed at her eyes and checked her watch absently. It was getting incredibly late and she really needed to head home soon. She knew the only other person left in the building was Gwen down in the labs. Somehow that was a little reassuring. Felicia clicked on the last group of files she’d look into today. It was named something ridiculous, something about climate change and she was sure that it couldn’t be this one. Except … it was? Her eyes widened as she dug through folder after folder and finally located what they’d been looking for for weeks.

 

“Oh my god” she whispered, joy overcoming her. She quickly forced a USB into the computer, copying the files and dropped it quickly into her pocket. She stood, her heels clacking against the hard floors as she ran for the elevators to head down to the labs. 

 

***

 

Gwen was just about ready to turn in for the night. There was nothing more that could be done here. That was, until Felicia ran into the room. She looked up at her. Gwen had never seen her smile this brightly before. She was holding a USB in her hand. Gwen’s heart started racing.

 

“It’s here” Felicia said, breathless from running. “I found it!”.

 

“Oh my god” Gwen muttered. She crossed the room and pulled the other woman into a hug. She laughed and Felicia hugged her back. 

 

“I can’t believe it. It’s really here”.

 

“With Oscorp being as shady as it is, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised” Gwen pulled away, already reaching for her phone. 

 

“It’s even shadier than you would think”. 

 

Gwen beamed at her, dialing Peter’s number quickly. She got his voicemail. He was either asleep or out being a vigilante. She waited for the beep. “Peter, it’s good news” she said and then hung up. 

 

***

 

Sometimes Peter wanted to sling to the top of the Empire State Building, just so he could throw his alarm clock off it. The incessant beeping was really getting on his nerves. He reached for it groggily, trying not to smash the snooze button too hard (he’s already had to replace it about four times). Peter rubbed at his eyes, not wanting to face the day yet, and reached for his glasses, wanting to just fall back to sleep instead. 

 

“Peter!”.

 

“Coming Aunt May!”

 

Peter grabbed for his phone, cringing at the bright light in the darkness of his room. He had one voice message. From Gwen. His heart started racing. 

 

***

 

After Felicia had discovered the location of the spider venom and brought the news to Gwen, the two of them decided that they definitely needed some sleep before the next day. Even if they truly didn’t sleep all that much due to the excitement. At least, Gwen was expecting it to be a restless night. Really it was the best night’s sleep she’d had in weeks. She didn’t realise just how much the stress of the situation was getting to her but the relief of finally locating the spider venom was all-consuming. Gwen knew that the day ahead of her would be life changing, at least in terms of what they’d been working towards. A cure for the Osborn Curse. She just didn’t know that it would also be life changing for her, in a different way. 

 

Gwen was on her way to Oscorp. The street was a mass of business people on their way to work for the day, or students or their way to classes. Gwen had never felt so alive before even if everything around her was as monotonous as it always had been. She grabbed a coffee from her favourite coffee shop, the woman behind the counter giving her a large smile in response to her own and continued on. Gwen’s phone rang insistently. Thinking it was just Peter calling her back she didn’t even bother with the caller ID. 

 

“Hello?” she answered, anticipating a very excited Peter Parker on the other end.

 

“Hello. Is this Gwen Stacy?”. The voice was unfamiliar to her which left her taken aback slightly. Especially because the accent was unmistakably British. 

 

“This is she,” she replied, cautious as to what was happening. 

 

“Hi, Miss Stacy. My name is Mary, I’m calling you from the Oxford Early Entry Program”.

 

Gwen paused in her tracks. The business people continued to surge around her, only mildly annoyed that she’d gotten in their way. She felt her heart stutter at the possibilities this phone call could be. And what it could bring her.

 

“Is this a good time?”

 

Gwen’s brain snapped into action, she quickly made her way to the side of the pathway, trying not to anger anyone else. “Yes. Yes, of course,” she said, a hand flying to her chest to try and steady her heartbeat. 

 

“Wonderful. I’m calling to tell you that we were very impressed with your application and your interviews only proved how passionate you were about this program. We would be incredibly honored if you would join us here at Oxford.”

 

Gwen must have been dreaming. This couldn’t really be happening. Oxford really wanted her. She was going to go to London. 

 

“Miss Stacy?”

 

“Sorry,” she apologised. “You want me to come to Oxford?”

 

“We’d love you to. You might be aware that this decision came down to you and one other candidate. Both of your applications were highly impressive and even your interviews were on par with each other. This was a very close decision but we spoke to someone at your workplace and it was very clear to us that you were the right choice.”

 

Gwen’s head was reeling, she was barely taking any of this in.

 

“Your flight will be paid for and of course you’ll have accommodation once you’re here. We are very much looking forward to meeting you.”

 

“I look forward to meeting you as well,” she replied. 

 

“I should mention that we’re hoping you can join us quite soon. Thursday if possible.”

 

“Thursday would be perfect.”

 

“Wonderful. We’ll e-mail all the details you’ll need. Welcome to Oxford, Gwen.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

The line went dead and Gwen still stood with the phone to her ear for quite a few moments afterwards, listening to the beep of the disconnected call. She was going to Oxford. This was something she’d been dreaming about for years. The more the news sunk in the more something else formed at the forefront of her mind. It was Wednesday. She was leaving tomorrow. There was no way that she’d have enough time to finalise the cure. The guilt started eating at her before she could stop it. 

 

***

 

Peter felt like he was running on pure adrenaline. He couldn’t seem to keep still and made the very conscious decision to sling his way through the city instead of walking. He was feeling incredibly impatient and the crowded L train wouldn’t help with that at all. He could very well have entered Harry’s building through the front door like a normal person, made his way up via the elevator and rang the doorbell, but that would have taken way too long. Harry’s apartment had a skylight which gave Peter the opportunity for a faster entrance, through the roof. It didn’t take much effort to drop directly into it. Harry’s apartment was just as pretentious as he remembered.

 

“That would have been a lot more impressive if you were in your Spider-Man suit,” Harry smirked, sitting up on the couch slowly and looking over at Peter. He somehow looked even worse than last time. Peter only barely registered it.

 

“Should I be offended that you don’t find me impressive on my own?”

 

“I never said that. I said it would be  _ more  _ impressive. Aren’t you worried someone will see you? Won’t that ruin your whole secret identity thing?”

 

Peter shook his head, surging through the room towards him. “That doesn’t matter. None of that matters right now.”

 

Harry looked up at him, confused. What had gotten into him?

 

“Gwen called,” Peter beamed. “She said she has good news.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“Harry, we have to go to Oscorp. Right now.”

 

“Peter, my energy levels today are below zero so you’re going to have to be a little more patient than this,” he laughed. He’d almost forgotten how excitable Peter could be. He’d forgotten how much he missed it.

 

Peter offered Harry his hand, pulling him off the couch and directly into a hug. “We’re going to save you,” he whispered. “It’s really happening.”

 

Harry had no idea what to feel. All that he knew was that he hoped Gwen had  _ something _ related to what Peter thought this was about. The fact that Peter seemed so relieved, he was practically shaking with it, somehow made all of this pain he’d been through of late because of the disease worth it. He hugged Peter back, clinging to him for a moment longer than he probably should have before pulling away. 

 

“Lucky for you, I know a faster way to get there,” Peter smirked, not pulling away entirely. He tapped one of the webslingers on his wrists.

 

“No,” Harry protested. “You are not slinging me through this damn city. I’m not your damsel in distress, Peter. We’re driving and you can suffer with me in the endless New York traffic jam.”

 

Peter pouted and it was enough to make Harry  _ almost  _ consider changing his mind, but he didn’t budge. “Ok, fine, but we should leave now.”

 

“Fine.”

 

***

 

Felicia greeted her with a bright smile upon arrival. Gwen wasn’t sure how to respond to that so she tried her best to smile back. Felicia’s brow furrowed, obviously sensing that something was wrong. She placed the file she was holding on her desk and made her way over to her, already planning on asking what was wrong. Gwen beat her to it, holding up a hand as if to silence her. 

 

“I got into Oxford” she muttered. She wished she could be more excited about than she was. She’d wanted this for years. 

 

“Gwen, that’s amazing” Felicia beamed. “I’m so happy for you!”

 

Gwen looked towards the double doors of Harry’s office, as if somehow that would convey everything she was feeling. Felicia’s smile fell immediately and she knew she’d gotten the message across. 

 

“Peter can handle this,” she said. “They both can. Don’t worry about them.”

 

“I’ll always worry,” she replied. 

 

“Have you told him yet?”

 

Gwen shook her head. She pulled at her bag nervously, trying to make sense of all of this. “I called him last night after you located the spider venom and told him I had good news. I guess I didn’t expect to have more than one thing to tell him,” she shrugged.

 

“Well, they’re already in if you want to go ahead now.”

  
Gwen took a deep breath. They had the spider venom. She should lead with that. Anything else could come later. She tried to smile at Felicia, who gave her an encouraging nod, and then headed for the double doors. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, kiddos, it's time for a ride. See you all next week!


	8. Accomplish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter, friends. I hope you're all having/had a good Easter whether you celebrate it or not. I think the holiday is about eating more than anything, which is something we can all get behind. I hope you like this chapter :)

“Gwen!” Peter beamed up at her as soon as she entered the room. He was leaning against Harry’s desk, obviously too geared up to even think about sitting down. Harry looked like death but he still acknowledge her with a nod as she entered. “So what’s the good news?”

 

Maybe if Peter wasn’t so excitable this would be easier. Maybe if he wasn’t looking at her like she was about to give him the best news of his life she would truly be able to do this. For some reason she couldn’t stop the guilt swarming through her. “I got into Oxford,” she said.

 

“What!? Gwen! That’s amazing!”

 

And then he was hugging her. She wondered how long it would take him to realise what that meant for the three of them. 

 

“I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!”

 

There was an ache in her chest but she hugged him back anyway. “Thank you,” she muttered, hoping that she sounded as excited as she should. 

 

When Peter pulled away he was still smiling and this had to be the only time in her life that she wished he wouldn’t. 

 

“Felicia found the spider venom” she continued.

 

Peter laughed and ran his hand through his hair. He turned to Harry, smiling brighter that even Gwen had ever seen. “So much good news in one day!”

 

For some reason Gwen didn’t expect Harry to react the way he did. She thought for sure that he would be somehow heartbroken, or that the news would at least be a shock to him, but that wasn’t the case at all. He was smiling, even if it wasn’t nearly as big as Peter’s and he came over to hug her. It didn’t seem to be just his hands that shook anymore (she could feel him shaking as he hugged her) though he shoved them deep in the pockets of his trousers when he pulled away. 

 

“Peter, we should get Felicia in here. There must be wine left here somewhere,” he smirked. She wondered if there was an ulterior motive to getting Peter out of the room. Maybe he had something to tell her. Maybe he was keeping up a brave front for Peter’s sake. She couldn’t blame him if that was the case. 

 

“This is the  _ only  _ situation that I’ll allow this,” he replied.

 

“Since when do I have to wait for you to  _ allow  _ me to do anything?”

 

Peter winked and left the room, leaving the two of them alone. 

 

“I’m very happy for you, Gwen,” he said to fill the silence. She was waiting for something. Some kind of underlying meaning to the words, some kind of indication that he was angry or upset or  _ something  _ but he just seemed genuine. She’d never seen him so genuine. 

 

“I leave tomorrow.” Maybe that would get a rise out of him. A sense of urgency.

 

He nodded, still smiling faintly. Gwen was starting to think that he knew about this before she told them.

 

Wait.

 

Gwen thought back over the phone call that she’d had, one exchange in particular drawing her attention. 

 

_ “We’d love you to. You might be aware that this decision came down to you and one other candidate. Both of your applications were highly impressive and even your interviews were on par with each other. This was a very close decision but we spoke to someone at your workplace and it was very clear to us that you were the right choice.” _

 

_ “This was a very close decision but we spoke to someone at your workplace and it was very clear to us that you were the right choice.” _

 

_ “someone at your workplace.” _

 

_ “workplace.” _

 

_ Oscorp.  _

 

_ Harry. _

 

When she looked up at him again there was a new level of understanding in her eyes. She could tell that he noticed. 

 

Harry rocked back on his heels absently. It must have been something that he’d picked up from Peter. “When some girl called and told me she was from Oxford and wanted to know about a Miss. Gwen Stacy I told her that Gwen Stacy was the best worker that I had here and that her brilliance, if anything, was constrained by Oscorp. I told her that Oxford would be more than lucky to have her.”

 

Gwen didn’t know what to say. She just knew that she had to  _ thank  _ him somehow. “Harry, you didn’t have to.”

 

“No, but I know how much Oxford means to you. Peter’s told me enough about it, and I can tell that your talents would be more than sort after there. You’re bigger than Oscorp, Gwen.”

 

“Harry -”

 

“Ok, so Felicia is really hard to convince because she’s determined that she shouldn’t be drinking on the job even if it’s not really drinking. I mean, it’s a celebration for all her hard work. And Gwen’s of course. But Felicia is the one that found the spider venom so I thought that she would  _ want  _ to be congratulated but she somehow  _ doesn’t  _ and trust me I  _ tried  _ to convince her but -” Peter stopped in his tracks and watched as Gwen crossed the room again to hug Harry. For some reason it wasn’t a sight that he’d been expecting, but it made him incredibly happy. “ _ That’s  _ what I like to see,” he beamed. 

 

“Jealous?” Gwen teased, pulling away and smirking over at him. 

 

“Pffft. Me? Jealous? Of you? Please.” He shifted almost uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair and pulling at his glasses. “So when do you leave?”

 

“Tomorrow.”

 

“Exciting.”

 

“Peter -”

 

“Wait don’t tell me,” he smirked. “You’re worried that without you we won’t be able to get the cure to the Osborn Curse? Really Gwen, your faith in me is flattering.”

 

“You’re not mad?” she asked. The second the question left her she knew it was stupid. This was Peter. Of  _ course  _ he’d have a plan.

 

“Gwennn” Peter teased, stretching out her name so that it was almost patronizing, “I’m Spider-Man. I can get anything done.”

 

She rolled her eyes at that. 

 

“Cocky isn’t a good look on you,” Harry laughed.

 

“Hm, what is then?”

 

Harry’s eyes went wide. He definitely couldn’t come up with an answer to that. Peter had to be just teasing. That would just be so  _ him _ .

 

Gwen coughed to try and cover the fact that she was laughing. It seemed these two weren’t any closer to getting together on their own. She had to talk to Felicia, maybe getting reinforcements would help. 

 

“So when do we get to see the spider venom?” Peter asked, biting down on his lip and looking pointedly away from everyone. 

 

“When there’s no suspecting Oscorp employees around to see us,” she shrugged. 

 

“But no one here leaves for agesss.”

 

“Yes because they have jobs.”

 

Peter glared over at his best friend. “The reason I don’t have a job is because I’m trying to stop you from dying, remember?”

 

“How could I forget?”

 

“Maybe you should call Jamerson? He’d probably have something,” Gwen suggested.

 

“No. This isn’t about my lack of a job,” he protested.

  
“You’re right. It’s definitely about your lack of patience.”

 

“Harry!”

 

***

 

Felicia’s heels clacked loudly on the floor as she led the three of them towards their destination. She found herself somehow grateful that no one else was around because even just the sound of it seemed suspicious to her. Oscorp had so many hidden secrets and throughout this adventure she’d founded out so much about so many of them. They were all things that she could have done without knowing, except for this at least. The underground levels of the Oscorp building was an incredibly extensive archival system. Basically, it was storage space. There were things hidden down here that no one cared to know about, and truly she was glad that they didn’t. If some of it fell into the wrong hands who knew what could happen.

 

The aisles seemed to go on forever and Peter was almost tempted to ask if they were there yet but none of them had spoken yet since leaving Harry’s office and the air around them felt charged with their building anticipation. He wasn’t sure if it was his spidey senses kicking in but he incredibly  _ aware  _ of everything around them. It wasn’t really helping him distract himself. He didn’t want to think too hard about this. There was still a possibility that this wouldn’t work. Maybe Harry was allergic to spider venom. Honestly, Peter thought that would be just his luck. As they made their way through another room that was lined with filing cabinets, shelves and eerie glowing lights, Felicia started talking about how she’d come across the spider venom but Peter really didn’t want to focus on what she was saying. He focused instead on Harry. Harry hadn’t so much as looked at him since they left his office and Peter wished that he could know what was going on inside his head. He didn’t think that he’d ever seen Harry  _ nervous  _ before, but this somehow definitely counted.

 

They stopped in an isle that looked like all the rest of them and Peter thought that maybe they were lost but Felicia was checking a number next to a black case and he knew that this was it. He could feel it in his bones. Felicia looked over at Gwen, giving her a simple nod. Gwen caught Peter’s eye and did the same. Then she looked at Harry but he was staring at the ground as if he wasn’t ready to face this yet. 

 

“This is it,” Felicia said. “It has to be in here”. 

 

There was a moment’s pause where they all took a deep breath and let the moment sink in. Everything that they’d worked for and this could be what they needed. It was possibly even their last chance. 

 

Felicia pulled the black case gently off the shelf it was resting on. Holding it tightly in both hands she looked over at Gwen again. The case didn’t feel heavy. There was no added weight like there had been on their shoulders until this moment. 

 

“We did it.”

 

“ _ You _ did it,” Gwen corrected.

 

“Should we open it?” Peter asked. 

 

Felicia nodded. She clutched it to her chest and backtracked a few rooms, looking for something to place the case on. They came across a small office, abandoned and caked in dust but with a functioning desk. After Felicia placed the case down she stepped away from it for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe it was really in front of them.

 

“Gwen, you open it,” Harry muttered. His voice was low and strained and Peter was instantly worried about him.

 

Gwen nodded and stepped forward, Felicia at her side. She examined the case slowly. There was a touch pad with four blank spaces present, obviously for four numbers, letters or symbols. “It has a passcode.”

 

“I know what it is” Felicia whispered, typing the code so quickly that none of them could tell what it was.

 

Harry reached out and gripped onto Peter’s hand and decided that he never wanted to let go. Not after all of this. 

 

Peter looked over at his best friend. He could feel Harry shaking and was once again renewed with a need to save him. He squeezed Harry’s hand and took a step closer to him. 

 

Gwen opened the case. Inside were twelve vials of green liquid sitting neatly in two rows of six. She let out a breath she didn’t know that she’d been holding. “There they are.”

 

“They’re real,” Felicia added. 

 

***

 

However determined Gwen was to start her analysis, Peter was intent on her getting home and getting some rest. No matter how much she tried to convince him that she could easily sleep on the plane he kept reminding her that she couldn’t even sleep in a car, let alone a plane. And that she still needed to pack. Gwen made him promise to tell her every single thing that happened with the venom from here on out before he managed to convince her to head home. Felicia wasn’t far behind her, after stashing the venom safely in Harry’s office (no one would dare go in there), she quickly said her goodbyes before heading home. Peter found himself wondering if she had a family. He didn’t know that much about Felicia outside of Oscorp. Maybe he should ask her one day. She’d done so much for them that it seemed like the least he could do. 

 

Felicia managed to catch Gwen just outside of Oscorp. Considering how late it was it made sense for Gwen to catch a cab instead of the train. That way at least she would be getting home quicker. It didn’t even take Felicia a second to make the decision to drive Gwen home. She’d been doing so much for all of them, and the city was relatively unsafe at night. She wasn’t used to having company too often but there was something so easy about being around Gwen. Maybe it was that she made Felicia feel like she really belonged somewhere. 

 

“They do have Skype in London,” Felicia smiled, breaking the silence between them. Even at night, the New York traffic seemed to be just as terrible. 

 

“Of course they do,” Gwen answered. She looked over at the woman next to her, wondering what she was thinking. 

 

“I thought that maybe we could keep in touch,” she shrugged, not taking her eyes off the road.

 

“I think that’s a good idea,” Gwen smiled over at her.

 

“Not just for the venom, of course. I mean, Peter and Harry … we have to do something about that,” she smirked. 

 

“I’m glad you’re catching on,” Gwen laughed. “They’re hopeless, aren’t they?”

 

“Oh absolutely. I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s been  _ weeks _ .”

 

“Peter isn’t really … the best when it comes to dealing with his feelings,” Gwen nodded.

 

“I don’t think Harry is either,” she agreed. 

  
“You see the problem then.”

 

“Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Gwen and Felicia would be really good friends. She's like an honorary member of the squad now. I'll see you all next week! :)
> 
> (side note: I don't think I'm ever dropped my Tumblr on this fic but I'm over at revolution-potter if anyone wants to chat about this fic, or anything really)


	9. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me eons longer to write that it should have and I can't apologise enough for that. Also, I'm aware I used to update this on Mondays but considering the gap I think it's best I post this straight away. I'll try and get back on to the regular schedule again, but considering it's already Thursday that probably won't be next week. I could give reason after reason as to why this was so late (writer's block, uni, work, etc.) but I think I'll just let you have this for now. Hopefully the next chapter will make up for it. I have something very special planned.

The Oscorp building was always so silent at night. It was almost off-putting. Once the spider-venom was carefully hidden away, a calm seemed to spread over the room. Gwen and Felicia were quick to leave after that, leaving Harry and Peter alone. The two of them weren’t really talking too much, both still in shock over actually having found what they’d been after all this time. It was almost unreal. 

 

“You should get some sleep,” Peter muttered. Harry looked absolutely wrecked, even more so than usual. 

 

“Yeah, yeah. I will eventually,” he shrugged, running his hand through his hair and trying to ignore the pain coming from his neck. 

 

“I think we’ve gotten to a stage now that I don’t really believe you,” Peter smirked, leaning against the desk in front of Harry.

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“Because before you said you didn’t have time for eventually.”

 

Harry laughed at that. “Alright, fine,” he smirked. “What do you suggest I do then?”

 

“Let me take you home.”

 

Once again, Harry was reminded of how absolutely impossible it was for him to say no to Peter Parker. It took every strength left in him to shake his head. “Nah. It’s fine. You should get home anyway,” he shrugged.

 

“You have something hiding in that apartment of yours?” Peter teased. 

 

He rolled his eyes at that and stood, trying to make it seem easier than it was at this stage. “No, but if I let you take me home then I won’t want you to leave.”

 

“Then I’ll stay.”

 

Ernest Peter was probably one of his favourites. Ernest, oblivious Peter who had no idea what the implications of his words were. “Pete -”

 

“It’s nothing,” he shrugged. “That massive couch of yours probably needs some use anyway.”

 

Harry shoved at him half-heartedly. “I wouldn’t make you sleep on the couch.”

 

Peter smirked over at him, playful and teasing all at once. “What are my options then?”

 

“It’s a two bedroom apartment, you asshole.”

 

Peter just laughed and let Harry lead the way. Somehow those weren’t the words he’d wanted to hear. Not that that was something he was ready to admit yet. Or ever. 

 

***

 

There was such a difference in the apartment with Peter there. It didn’t feel empty anymore, even though the place itself hadn’t changed. Just Peter’s presence alone was enough to make it feel as close to a home as it had ever been. He didn’t want to think about that too much. He didn’t want to think about Peter, knew that it wasn’t what he should be doing in that moment. It would only make things harder, but he was always thinking about Peter Parker. It was a blessing and a curse all at once. 

 

“Dude, you really need some more life in here,” Peter teased, flopping down on the couch.

 

Harry felt like Peter was a magnet and he was a cloud of metal fibers that was always drawn to him. He took the seat next to Peter and still desperately wanted to somehow be closer. “I didn’t actually decorate this place,” he replied, trying to sound casual. Everything was normal. This was normal. He was just sitting next to his best friend. This was fine. 

 

“Someone from Oscorp then?”

 

“Felicia, mostly,” he shrugged. “I owe a lot to her. I should probably give her another raise soon.”

 

“Maybe you should just dump your entire bank account into hers.”

 

“Nah, gotta save some money for you,” he muttered.

 

Peter paused. The mood in the room suddenly change. “For me?” he asked.

 

If Harry wasn’t as tired as he was he’d probably be able to talk like a normal person. He couldn’t avoid slip-ups like this. He really couldn’t. “Uh,” he managed, trying to force his brain to think of  _ something  _ to recover from this. “You need a new camera,” he settled on. “Yours is a little outdated.”

 

Thankfully Peter managed to buy that. “A camera?” 

 

Harry just shrugged, avoided his eyes and hoped that maybe he was tired enough to just pass out and avoid this moment entirely. 

 

Peter knew there was something up with Harry. He knew that he was hiding something. He just had no idea what. Eight years by himself had really made him good at hiding, and Peter had never hated it more than he did right now. “You should get some sleep,” he said, watching as Harry continued to avoid looking at him. 

 

“Second door on your left,” he replied. “Night, Pete.”

 

“Night.”

 

***

 

Gwen wasn’t entirely sure what she expected but the airport was absolutely thriving. She didn’t know if that was normal for what she thought was just an ordinary (enough) Thursday morning, since she didn’t travel much, but there were people everywhere. Mostly it was just business people, suits and ties and neat pencil skirts pulling small suitcases behind them, phone to their ears and heels clacking against the tiled floor as they went. Gwen felt like she was constantly in the way as she watched them dash around her, trying to make their way to their own flights. She tried to stick to the side and tried not to become overwhelmed with everything. She kept going over what she’d packed in her suitcase, checking and rechecking that she had absolutely everything she would need. Between that and the comforting sound of her brothers talking and laughing beside her, Gwen thought that she was doing just fine. Her mother was clutching onto her arm almost tight enough that she thought she might bruise in the morning. Despite them having discussed Oxford since Gwen had started thinking about applying and the constant support that was given, her mother was both proud and terribly upset with her leaving. Gwen couldn’t blame her. She practically felt the same. 

 

“Is Peter coming to see you off?” her mother asked. Even if the airport was anything but silent the fact that Gwen hadn’t spoken much seemed to be grating on her. She knew how much she was going to miss her daughter, even just conversations with her. 

 

Gwen smiled faintly, because of  _ course  _ her mum would mention Peter. She adored Peter and constantly reminded her of the fact while they’d been dating. “He’ll be here,” she replied, scanning the departures board to find what gate she needed to head to. 

 

“Any of your other friends?”

 

“A couple. I think.”

 

“It’s nice of them to come see you off.”

 

Gwen couldn’t ignore how her mother’s voice shook as she finished the sentence and turned to face her. “Mum, I’ll only be a phone call away,” she said, trying to smile. 

 

Her mother nodded and tried to ignore the tears welling up in her eyes. “I know,” she said.

 

“I’ll call you every chance I get,” Gwen promised.

 

“Gate 24,” one of her brothers said, pulling Gwen back into the present. She cast a quick glance around the terminal absently before nodding, quickly pulling out her phone to message Peter the gate number. She knew he’d be there. 

 

***

 

“I’m not sure if I’m more excited for her, or sad that she’s leaving,” Felicia mused as the three of them made their way through the terminal. Peter had mentioned something about Gate 24 and though both he and Harry were being significantly quiet this morning, which of course they had reason to be, she was determined not to get them lost. 

 

“Considering how long she’s wanted this for, I think she’d want us to be excited,” Peter shrugged, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Harry hadn’t spoken to him all morning and it was almost starting to get on his nerves. He couldn’t even look at him.

 

“I would be excited,” she continued. “The Oxford Early Entry Program is world renowned for a reason.”

 

“It’ll be good for her. She’ll be great there.”

 

Felicia looked over at Harry. He was staring directly at the ground, hands shoved in his pockets and she could tell that breathing was a struggle for him today. Maybe with Gwen leaving he was starting to panic, since the timing wasn’t the greatest. She had enough faith in Peter to know that there wasn’t reason to panic. At least, not yet. 

 

Peter caught her eye and shrugged. That told her all she needed to know. He had no idea what was wrong either. Then he spotted a particular shade of blonde and couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, even despite the circumstances. “Gwen Stacy!” he called, and watched as she jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. 

 

Gwen smiled to herself because  _ of course _ her friends would make it and any doubt that she’d had about Peter’s usual tardiness flew away. She turned and crossed arms over her chest, waiting for the three of them to reach her. The first thing she noticed was that Harry looked even sicker than usual and her smile faltered at that. She caught Felicia’s eye but could tell that she had no idea what was wrong either. The disease just must have been getting worse. She’d have to pull together a plan on the flight, and hope that Peter would too. 

 

Peter pulled Gwen into a hug when he reached her. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” he said, lowering his voice so that only she could hear him. “I really wish I did.”

 

“He’d tell you if it was important,” she replied.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“I’ll start planning something on the plane.”

 

“Way ahead of you,” he said, pulling away. There was a hint of a smirk on his face that Gwen rolled her eyes at.

  
“Alright then. I expect details,” she teased.

 

“And the same goes for you. I want to hear all about Oxford.”

 

“Oh, you will.”

 

“I’m really proud of you, you know,” Peter muttered, running a hand through his hair absently. He was very aware of the eyes of Gwen’s family on them, and considering how fond of him Gwen’s mother seemed to be it was just a tad awkward.

 

She nudged him gently in the shoulder. “I know, you dork. Now move over so I can soak up as much love as I can.”

 

Felicia was next. She pulled Gwen into an almost over-enthusiastic hug which made her laugh. “I’m so excited for you,” she admitted. “I mean, Oxford is amazing, but you must be so sick of hearing that.”

 

“Not yet,” Gwen shrugged. “Maybe it’ll all sink in when I get there. Don’t worry, we can Skype regularly enough.”

 

“I was hoping we could keep that up. You know, for science purposes.” There was a glint in Felicia’s eye that Gwen recognised all too well. It was almost funny that the word science seemed likely to become a code word for the two of them. 

 

“Science purposes,” she agreed. “Definitely”.

 

Felicia beamed at her and then returned to Peter’s side. He quickly introduced her to Gwen’s mum and they fell into easy conversation.

 

Gwen looked over at Harry. He hadn’t really looked up at her yet, but she could tell that he knew she was there. She crossed the few steps between them and stopped in front of him. “How bad is it?” she asked, lowering her voice to not alarm the others.  

 

He looked up at her, his eyes were practically glazed over. He mustn’t have slept well at all. “Depends what you mean by bad,” he replied. “If you mean the illness then yeah it’s getting a little worse but if you mean Peter … well …” he broke off, looked down again.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Nothing really. After you and Felicia left last night he came back to my apartment because he thought I needed to sleep and I guess logically I do but I somehow convinced him to stay so I … I don’t know,” he shrugged.

 

“Did you tell him?”

 

Harry shook his head. “I told him that if he came back with me I wouldn’t want him to leave and so he didn’t. I guess I should pretend that means something.”

 

“Of course it means something.” 

 

He just shrugged at that. 

 

Gwen sighed and uncrossed her arms. “Alright, come here,” she muttered. 

 

Harry knew that was an invitation for a hug. He’d never hugged Gwen before, but he supposed that since she was leaving the country now but be a good time for that. He’d only ever hugged Peter before but this was different. This was normal. This was a thing that people did. He let Gwen pull him into a hug and was almost alarmed at how reassuring it felt. 

 

“You worry far too much, you know,” Gwen said. 

 

“I wonder if that comes with the dying.”

 

“You’re not going to die, Harry. That’s kind of the point.”

 

“How do you think he’ll react?” he muttered.

 

“Not nearly as bad as you’re trying to convince yourself.”

 

“I hope you’re right.”

 

There was a call for passengers to start boarding the flight and Gwen pulled away. “You can do this,” she said, before quickly turning to hug her family again. 

 

Felicia came to stand next to him. He wasn’t entirely expecting her to speak, but what she said confused him completely. “I know it must seem like whatever’s going on in your head isn’t worth the trouble, but voicing your thoughts is always the way to go.”

 

He looked over at her, brows pulling together in confusion. “What?”

 

Felicia watched as Gwen pulled Peter into another hug quickly. “He cares about you,” she said. “More than you think.”

 

“Am I that obvious?” he muttered.

 

“No, but I’m good at reading between the lines. I think that’s why I was hired,” she smirked.

 

Harry hated that he cracked a smile at that. 

 

Gwen approached the two of them again, pulling Felicia into another hug. “I’m going to miss you both so much,” she said. Harry thought that was the most normal thing he’d ever heard her say.

 

“We’ll miss you too,” Felicia laughed, pulling away.

 

And then Harry was being hugged again and he had to pretend that he was overwhelmed by it. 

 

“You can do this,” she said. 

 

“Have fun at Oxford,” he replied.

 

“I’m sure you’ll hear all about it some way or another,” she laughed. Then she pulled away, grabbed the handle of her carry-on suitcase and started towards the boarding line, trying her best to ignore the fact that her mum was crying. She didn’t want to cry herself. She didn’t want to have reason to. 

 

“I expect a postcard everyday!” Peter called after her.

 

“Shut up, Peter!”

 

They watched her until she’d disappeared out of sight. Then silence fell over all of them. Gwen’s mum mentioned something about leaving, since both her sons had to get to school somehow. The only reason she’d let them have the morning off is because Gwen was leaving, and she wasn’t sure when she would be able to come back. Then there was just the three of them. The friends and families of the other passengers were starting to leave as well, making the area a lot emptier than it had been.

 

“So, what do we do now?” Felicia asked, looking between the two boys. 

 

Harry just shrugged. 

 

“Well, I need to get back to Oscorp,” Peter muttered. “Have to pick up that spider venom. Then I need to take you somewhere.” He nudged Harry gently. 

 

Harry looked up at him for what he realised was the first time that day. “Where?” he asked. 

 

“Well, I can’t tell you, but it’s somewhere that’s going to help. You’ll just have to trust me.”

 

Harry pretty much glared at that. Then Peter broke into a smile and he felt like he was melting again. “Fine,” he said.

 

“So you’re talking to me now?” he teased.

 

“Don’t be an asshole.”

 

“Have to earn your conversation, do I?”

 

“Oh, come on, Peter. Don’t mock him,” Felicia said, though she sounded close to laughter herself.

 

“Sometimes I think I hate you,” Harry muttered, even if that entire sentence was a lie.

 

“Maybe it’s good then that I know you don’t. All of the time.”

  
Peter looked at him until he laughed and then somehow everything seemed to fall back into place. Harry wished he could hate that Peter had that effect on him, but he knew that he’d never be able to. It was always the opposite. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've stuck with this, I love you. I'll see you all soon <3


	10. Visitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some surprises for you all in this chapter. I hope you like it!

 

“Do you ever think about how we appear to others?” Felicia asked as the three of them made their way up to Harry’s office. She could feel eyes on the three of them as they did so. It didn’t make her as uneasy as she thought it would. 

 

“I try not to think about other people,” Harry muttered. It was a question that hit a little too close to home for him. It wasn’t something he wanted to start thinking about again. “As long as they stay out of my way they can think whatever they want about me.”

 

“I guess I just wonder about it. Even for me. I mean, they must think  _ something  _ about me,” she continued. 

 

Peter just shrugged. He was a little too focused on what was ahead. “They probably think a lot of things.”

 

“Last time I checked, most of them wanted to impeach me,” Harry added as Peter pushed through the double doors ahead of them. 

 

“Are you coming with us, Felicia?” Peter asked as he crossed the room quickly, wasting no time to pick up the spider venom. 

 

“To some mysterious place that you’re not telling us about?” she teased. “I think at least one of us needs to stay here.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Harry replied, automatically. He relied too much on Felicia and he knew it. The company belonged more to her than to him these days. 

 

She just smiled at him. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

 

“You can use my office.”

 

“I appreciate that.”

 

A moment passed between the two of them. A moment of gratitude and understanding. Harry needed to give her another raise. It was a moment only broken by Peter, who was in quite the hurry for a reason he didn’t seem keen to tell. He grabbed onto Harry’s hand as he walked passed them, the case of spider venom tightly in his other. 

 

“Gotta go. Bye Felicia,” he muttered.

 

“You two kids have fun,” she laughed, waving at them as Peter pushed back through the doors. She turned to look back into the office and smiled to herself. It would be so much quieter working in here. She would get so much more work done. That was all she could ask for.

 

***

 

The large building loomed in front of them. It was truly a master of architecture, half it of being smooth glass and the other half detailed metal paneling. Harry had never seen it up close. He didn’t think he’d ever even walked passed the building at all since he’d been back in New York. It wasn’t really something that he’d had the time to put any thought into. Wherever he thought that Peter was taking him, it certainly wasn’t here. The large blue A stared down at them and Harry found himself almost drawn to it. 

 

“Pete,” he muttered, grabbing for Peter’s arm because he didn’t even hesitate before walking towards the building. 

 

“Yeah?” Peter asked, stopping. 

 

“This is Avengers Tower.”

 

Peter just shrugged at that. “Yeah.”

 

“We can’t just  _ walk  _ into Avengers Tower.”

 

Peter beamed at him. He took a few steps back to Harry, so that he was right in front of him. “I don’t know if you remember this,” he smirked, “but I’m Spider-Man. I’m one of them. I can absolutely walk into Avengers Tower.”

 

Harry was automatically distracted by how  _ close  _ Peter was to him and how low his voice had gotten. He just stared back at him with wide eyes. There were people on the street. Normal people going about their lives. Would it really matter if anyone saw them walk into the building?

 

“I told you, you just need to trust me,” he teased.

 

“You know I trust you.”

 

“Well, come on then.”

 

Harry let Peter tug on his arm gently and then followed him into the building. He thought that maybe Peter had been here before because he just nodded to a person behind the reception desk and continued towards an elevator. He didn’t even stop. Harry gazed around in awe at the place while they crossed the room. This was far better than Oscorp could ever be. 

 

Peter didn’t really feel like he was thinking. He was just on autopilot and praying that this wouldn’t be a wasted trip. With Gwen off at Oxford it would take him far more time than he thought they had to figure all of this out. Tony would be much faster than he was. He was relying on that.

 

“You’re seriously allowed to just go up here?” Harry asked as Peter quickly fiddled with the buttons in the elevator for a moment, applied his fingerprint to a panel before it started up. 

 

“I told you. I’m one of them,” he shrugged.

 

“You don’t have to do all this for me, Pete.”

 

Peter looked over at Harry. He’d already lost him once. He wasn’t going to lose him again. “You’re my best friend, Harry,” he said, hoping that was somehow enough.

 

“I don’t know if I’ve thanked you enough,” Harry replied.

 

Peter smiled at that. “You don’t have to thank me.” 

 

The elevator doors were pulled open and the two of them walked out in what seemed to Harry to just be an ordinary lounge room. There was a kitchen attached to it. The TV was on and someone was lying on the couch though he couldn’t see who it was. Either way, the room felt like a home. 

 

“Hey Clint,” Peter called. 

 

The person didn’t so much as flinch, as if he hadn’t heard him at all. 

 

“Hold that,” Peter muttered. He handed the case to Harry and then shuffled in the pockets of his jacket for a moment, pulling out a very small popcorn cornell. 

 

Harry just looked at him for a minute. 

 

“Oh, he probably doesn’t have his hearing aids in,” he explained. 

 

Harry looked down at the cornell in his hand. 

 

“Don’t ask,” Peter muttered. He throw it so that it hit the person in the back of the head, startling them. 

 

The man stood up and looked over at the two of them. Recognition dawned on his face and he quickly put the hearing aids that were hanging around his collar back into his ears. “Hey Peter,” he said, a bright smile lighting up his face. 

 

“Hey Clint,” Peter replied, walking further into the room. He nodded to the TV that was rolling through episodes of  _ Say Yes To The Dress _ . “This your new favourite show?” he asked.

 

Clint glanced at the TV and then back to Peter. “If you tell Natasha about this I swear-” he accused.

 

Peter laughed at that. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

 

“It’s actually a good show,” he defended. 

 

“Sure it is.”

 

Clint glared at him for a moment and then he laughed and pulled Peter into a hug, patting him on the back. As he pulled away, he seemed to notice Harry in the room. “Who’s the guy?” he asked.

 

“A friend,” Peter shrugged, ignoring the smirk that Clint threw him. 

 

“I guess I should introduce myself then,” he said, walking over to Harry. “I’m Clint Barton. Also known as Hawkeye. Also known as the coolest guy you will ever meet.”

 

“I think Peter’s already taken that position,” Harry replied. “I’m Harry,” he added.

 

“Osborn, right?”

 

“That’s me.”

 

“Sorry about your dad, I guess.”

 

“He was an asshole,” Harry shrugged.

 

“I like him,” Clint turned back to Peter. “He’s honest. Not too many honest people around these days.”

 

Peter laughed at that. “Especially not as Oscorp,” he said.

 

“What’s it like, running that place?” Clint turned back to Harry.

 

“Hell,” he replied.

 

Clint looked over at him for a moment, then down at the case still in Harry’s hands, then back at Peter. “Let me guess, he’s dying,” he said.

 

Peter’s eyes went automatically to the ground and he nodded, slowly. “Do you know if Tony’s in?” he asked.

 

“Why can’t you ever just come to see me?” Clint teased. 

 

Peter cracked a small smile at that. “Next time, I promise.”

 

Clint nudged him, trying to cheer him up. “You know where to find him,” he said.

 

“Thanks, Clint.”

 

Peter turned back to Harry and for a moment he looked nothing short of devastated. Then he quickly pointed further into the building. “It’s this way,” he said. 

 

Harry just nodded and quickly moved to his side, handing Peter the case easily. “It was nice meeting you,” he said to Clint. 

 

“You too, kid.”

 

***

The two of them walked through the room and used another elevator. Harry had no idea where they were going but he could see New York through the glass which helped keep him calm, just a little. It wasn’t really an easy task when he would feel Peter practically shaking with nerves next to him. He was trying to distract himself from that by tapping the beat of some pop song on the top of the case, but even that wasn’t reassuring in the slightest. If even Peter was nervous, then Harry had no idea what they were walking into. He wished that he could reassure Peter somehow, but he didn’t have the words at the moment. With no idea what they were going he wasn’t sure what he could say in this situation that would be any help. Harry placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder and hoped that the gesture would somehow help. When Peter immediately sunk into the touch and stopped shaking Harry knew that was enough.

 

“I hope you trust me,” Peter said, breaking the silence that had formed between them. 

 

“You know I do.” Trusting Peter Parker was probably the only thing he was really good at. It was the only thing that he never needed to think about, it just happened. 

 

The elevator doors pulled open and Peter took a deep breath before heading through them. Harry followed him easily.

 

The room that they found themselves in now was more than what Harry could have ever imagined it being. There were windows all along the far side, New York shining through them. The room itself was tinged an icy blue. There were robots in the room though they were stagnant at the moment. It looked like any futuristic film that Harry had ever seen. 

 

Tony Stark was standing at a holographic panel, scrolling through something and muttering to himself about overheating and laser improvement. He didn’t notice the two of the come in, too focused on his work. 

 

Harry automatically recognised him, realising that Peter must have really  _ really  _ wanted to help him, to keep him alive. If he was going straight to Tony Stark … there was some reassurance in that. 

 

“Tony!,” Peter called, trying to get his attention. Obviously Tony was busy, but he was always busy. He was always working on something so Peter knew that he’d always be bothering him somehow. He also knew that it was worth it.

 

Tony cursed to himself, losing his current train of thought. Hopefully it wouldn’t take him too long to focus back on what he was working on. He thought that he was almost at some kind of breakthrough. “Peter,” he acknowledged, not even looking up. 

 

Peter walked straight over to Tony, practically forcing the man to look up at him. When he spoke again, his voice was much softer. “I need your help,” he said, the words feeling heavy in the air with the weight of the statement. 

 

Tony looked down at him, noticing how distressed the kid seemed to be. This wasn’t the overly energetic, slightly annoying Peter Parker that he was used to. This was a very desperate, very upset Peter Parker. Tony sighed and closed the program he was working on. There’d always be more time for it later. “What kind of help?” he asked.

 

Peter took another deep breath. He looked around the room quickly, locating the closest desk and moving towards it, Tony following him easily. He placed the case on the desk and opened it quickly. 

 

Tony glanced at it for a moment, looking at the green vials in neat lines. He had no idea what this kid was asking him. “Spider venom?”

 

“Spider venom has self-healing properties. It’s also radioactive. When Oscorp destroyed the spiders that bit me, they didn’t get rid of the venom. At least not all of it,” he explained.

 

That just made Tony even more confused. “Peter, you’re already Spider-Man,” he reminded.

 

“It’s not for me.”

 

Tony seemed to notice Harry for the first time then. He was still hovering in the doorway, obviously not sure what to do with himself. Tony looked at him for a moment, practically studying him. It didn’t take a genius to know the kid was dying. “Who’s the dying kid?” he asked Peter.

 

“Harry Osborn,” he supplied. 

 

“Hey kid, could you leave for a second,” he called.

 

Harry looked startled that Tony had spoken to him at all, but he nodded and disappeared from the room. 

 

“Osborn?” Tony added, turning back to Peter asked.

 

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Like, the CEO of Oscorp.”

 

Tony’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to figure Peter out. 

 

Peter took a deep breath and stared back, waiting for more questions. He just hoped that Tony would agree to help. That was all he needed at this point. He didn’t really care if he was in debt to him for the rest of his life as long as Harry didn’t die.

 

“What exactly are you asking me to do, Peter?”

 

“You said it yourself. He’s dying.”

 

“You’re trying to use this,” his hand hovered over the spider venom, “to save him?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No,” Tony shook his head.

 

Peter could feel everything start to crash around him. There was a weight pressing against his lungs. He wasn’t really good at talking, but he needed to convince Tony to help him. “Gwen’s gone to Oxford,” he started. “She got accepted into the Oxford Early Entry Program and I wanted her to go and I’m so happy for her and so proud of her but I can’t do all of this,” he flailed an arm towards the spider venom, “on my own. We don’t have enough time for me to work this out my own. You  _ know  _ that I won’t be able to pull this off. Tony, I’ve lost Harry once before. I can’t lose him again.  _ Please _ , I don’t have anyone else.”

 

A panicky, desperate Peter Parker was not one that Tony was used to dealing with, but he could tell how much this meant to him. “What is he to you?” he asked.

 

“Wouldn’t you do anything to save Pepper?” Peter replied, standing his ground.

 

Tony sighed to himself. He couldn’t really turn down Peter now. He knew exactly how he was feeling. “Alright, bring your friend back in here,” he said.

 

Peter perked up at that, a mixture of shock and complete joy. “Wait, really? Thank you, Tony! Thank you thank you thank you! I’ll owe you forever, really,” he said, making for the door to pull Harry back into the room. 

 

Tony looked over at the spider venom. This wasn’t his usual area. His work usually revolved around things that were a lot more mechanical, not a human being. While he often worked on his suits that directly affected him, he didn’t really work on other people. That wasn’t really something he did, but Peter had been so lost and he knew that he would have only come if Tony was his last resort. He couldn’t really let him down now. Tony rolled up his sleeves absently as he heard Peter come spiralling back into the room. Well, this should be easy enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes from me regarding this:  
> 1\. If you Google 'Avengers Tower'/'Inside Avengers Tower' you don't actually get that much information so I used up a lot of my creative license in this chapter. Hopefully it seems realistic enough  
> 2\. I'm literally in no way, shape or form confident in my abilities to write Tony Stark but we're gonna give it a go !!!
> 
> I'll see you all next time!

**Author's Note:**

> I think I'll aim for weekly updates. I already have a few chapters of this backed up so that seems manageable. In which case, I'll see you again next week :)


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